^MWOfPRINC^
v^OGICAL SE»^^
1:13,5
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
THE
BOOK OF GENESIS
EDITED
WITH INTRODUCTION, CRITICAL ANALYSIS
AND NOTES
G. WOOSUNG WADE. M.A.
PROFESSOR OF LATIN AND LECTURER IN HEBREW AT
ST. DAVID'S COLLEGE, LAMPETER
WITH TWO MAPS "
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
LONDON, NEW YORK, AND BOMBAY
1896
All rights reserved
PREFACE
In this edition of Genesis an attempt has been made, within
the limits of a small text-book, to take account of some of
the conclusions of recent literary and historical criticism, and
to face a few of the questions suggested by such criticism in
connection with Christian Theology.
The translation is based upon the Authorised Version, which
has been adhered to as closely as the plan of the book would
allow. Of the alterations made, most have been introduced
with a view to illustrating the stylistic features upon which
the critical analysis in part depends ; but in a few cases what
has appeared to be a more accurate rendering of the orioiual
has been adopted. In regard to these latter, considerable
help has been obtained from the Eevised Version. It is,
moreover, to the Eevised Version that all references are made.
In certain places, where the Hebrew text appears to be im-
perfect, marks of omission have been inserted ; but the order
of the verses has been preserved so far as is compatible
with an endeavour to distinguish the sources from which it
is believed Genesis has been compiled, and no conjectural
emendations have been admitted.
As the book is intended chiefly for English readers,
Hebrew characters have not been used, and the discussion
of matters of pure scholarship has been purposely avoided.
Genesis raises a number of questions which appeal to others
besides professed scholars, and it is to these that attention
has been principally directed. But an exhaustive treatment
vi PREFACE
of such questions would not be possible even in a commen-
tary of much greater compass than this ; and in the present
work only those points have received notice which inevitably
force themselves upon the reader, and only such information
has been given as is needed for the adequate comprehension
of the narrative. The book has no pretensions to learning :
if it contributes a little to the candid, but at the same time
reverent, study of the Bible, its object will have beeu fully
accomplished.
As it has been thought unnecessary, in a work of this
character, to introduce many references to authorities, it
is the more incumbent upon me to express here my deep
obligations to the writings of Delitzsch, Dillmann, Kuenen,
Schrader, Wellhausen, Driver, Kyle, Robertson, Sayce, San-
day, Eobertson Smith, Montefiore, Watson, and Westphal. Of
these, special acknowledgments are due to Professor Driver
and Professor Kuenen, Dr. Dillmann and Dr. Delitzsch. I
have also used Mr. Spurrell's Notes on the Hebrew Text of
Genesis; the SjJeaJcers Commentary, vol. i., and the volume of
Essays entitled Lex Mosaica. Mr. Addis' Documents of the
Hexateuch, and Mr. Fripp's Composition of the Book of Genesis,
came into my hands after the plan of my own book was
formed ; but I owe something to both. In additiou, much
help has been obtained from articles in the Encyclopcedia
Britannica, the Expositor and the Dictionary of the Bible.
But though my indebtedness to others is very great, I have
endeavoured to use my own judgment, and from the mass
of materials collected have drawn my own conclusions.
Finally, I have to thank my friend and colleague, the
Rev. E. Tyrrell Green, for having most generously placed
both his scholarship and his time at my disposal.
G. W. W.
A D DE N DA
47, line 26, after "chapter" add: "The name of Chedor-
laomer himself has since been discovered,
together with that of his ally Tidal (Tudghal).
See Sayce, Cont. Rev. for Oct. 1895, p. 482."
53, „ 23, after "as well as P" add: "Quite recently
further confirmatory evidence of the early
connection of the Hebrews with Babylonia
has been furnished by the discovery of con-
tract-tablets of the date of Arioch of EUasar
(see p. 47), containing such Hebrew names
as Abram (Abu-ramu), Jacob-el (Jaqubu-ilu),
and Joseph-el (Yasupu-ilu). See Sayce, Cont.
Rev. for Oct. 1895, p. 482."
54, ,, 32, after " century " add : " The inscription, engraved
on the walls of Karnak, contains a list of
places in Palestine captured by Thothmes III.
It seems not improbable that the localities
referred to got their appellations from having
been associated with some historic personages
called Jacob and Joseph, though there is, of
course, nothing beyond the similarity of the
names to connect them with the two patriarchs
of the Bible narrative. See Sayce, The Higher
Criticism, p. 337.",
INTRODUCTION
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.i
B.C.
The Exodus . . before 1300
David 1055
Buildingof Solomon's Temple 1012
Jeroboam II., king of Israel 786
Uzziah, king of Judah . . 772
Amos prophesied . . . 747
Hosea prophesied . . . 745
Isaiah began to prophesy . 740
Ahaz, king of Judah . . 734
Micah prophesied . . about 730
Hezekiah, king of Judah . 727
Capture of Samaria . . 722
Sennacherib's attack on
Judah .... 701
Josiah, king of Judah . . 639
Jeremiah began to prophesy 626
Kef ormation of Josiah . . 621
Ezekiel began to prophesy . 592
Capture of Jerusalem . . 586
Capture of Babylon . . 538
Keturn of the Jews . . 536
Haggai prophesied . . 520
Zechariah prophesied . about 520
Completion of the Second
Temple .... 516
Mission of Ezra . . . 458
Nehemiah's first
Jerusalem .
visit to
Homer ?95o
Legislation of Lycurgus . 884
First Olympiad . . .776
Foundation of Eome . . 753
Solon 594
Pre-Socratic philosophers, after 580
Herodotus born ,
Socrates born
Laws of XII. Tables
484
468
451
444
Many of the earlier dates given in this table are uncertain.
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
CHAPTEE I
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS
The book of Genesis is so called from the term 'yeveaa
(literally "begetting"), used by the LXX, in ii. 4, s. i, &c.,
in the sense of "descendants," "posterity." The book is
the first part of an historical scheme, comprising Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, which
relates God's selection of the Israelites as a people to do
Him service, and His establishment of them in the land
of Canaan (see Josh. xxiv.). As forming an integral por-
tion of this more extended whole, Genesis exhibits, in its
structure, a definite plan, the earlier part setting forth, by
means of a sketch of the first beginnings of things, the place
of Israel's ancestry in the early history of the earth, and
the latter part describing minutely that ancestry and its
fortunes. To the first section belong i.-xi. ; to the second
xii.-l.
But notwithstanding the unity which is observable in
Genesis, there are numerous indications in it of its having
been constructed, by transcription and compilation, out of
other and earlier materials.
An examination of the book reveals the fact that it abounds,
especially in the earlier part, with repetitions.
I. In some cases the same fact is related twice over, in
4 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
very similar language, in passages whicli are in close
proximity to one another — e.g., the following: —
Genesis v. 3-6.
And Adam lived a hundred and
thirty years, and begat a son . . .
and called his name Seth. . . . And
Seth lived a hundred and five
years, and begat Enosh.
Genesis iv. 25-26.
And Adam knew his wife again,
and she bare a son, and called his
name Seth. . . . And to Seth, to
him also, there was born a son ;
and he called his name Enosh.
And the earth was corrupt before
God, and the earth was filled with
violence. And God saw the earth,
and behold it was corrupt ; for all
flesh had corrupted its way upon
the earth. And God said unto Noah,
The end of all flesh is come before
me ; for the earth is filled with
violence through them ; and behold,
I will destroy them with the earth.
VI. 5-7.
And Jehovah saw that the wicked-
ness of man was great in the earth,
and that every imagination of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually. And it repented Je-
hovah that he had made man on
the earth, and it pained him at his
heart. And Jehovah said, I will
blot out man whom I have created
from the face of the ground.
vii. 13.
In the self-same day entered
Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and
Japheth, the sons of Noah, and
Noah's wife, and the three wives
of his sons with them, into the ark.
vii. 7.
And Noah went in, and his sons
and his wife, and his sons' wives
with him, into the ark.
And all flesh expired that creepeth
upon the earth, both fowl, and
cattle, and beast, and every swarm-
ing thing that swarmeth upon the
earth, and every man.
All in whose nostrils was the
breath of the spirit of life, of all
that was in the dry land, died.
2. In other instances two accounts are given of the same
event which are inconsistent with one another. Such are the
following : —
1. I -11. 4«.
(The order of creation is (i) vege-
tation ; (2) animals ; (3) mankind.)
ii. 4^-25.
(The order of creation is (i) a
man ; (2) vegetation ; (3) animals ;.
(4) a woman.)
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS S
vi. 18-22. vii. 1-5.
(The animals preserved consist of (The animals preserved consist of
one pair of every kind.) seven pairs of clean, and one pair of
unclean.)
vii. II and viii. 14.
(The flood covers the earth for
twelve months and ten days. )
vii. 12, viii. 10, 12.
(The flood prevails for sixty-one ^
days.)
sxvii. 46-xxviii. 2.
(Rebekah sends away Jacob to
get a wife.)
XXXV. 10, 15.
(Jacob's name is changed to
Israel at Bethel, and no mention is
made of an angel wrestling with
him.)
xxvii. 43-45.
(Rebekah sends away Jacob to
preserve him from the revenge of
Esau.)
xxxii. 28, 30.
(An angel wrestles with Jacob,
and changes his name at Penuel.)
xxxvi. 6-8.
(Esau goes to Seir because the
land is not sufficient for him and
Jacob together.)
XXXV. 24-26.
(Benjamin is born in Paddan
Aram.)
xxxu. 3.
(Esau is in Seir lefore Jacob meets
him.)
XXXV. 16.
(Benjamin is born after Jacob
leaves Paddan Aram.)
XXXV. 29.
(Isaac dies after Jacob has had
many sons born to him.)
xxvii. I foil, (espec. 41).
(Isaac's death is contemplated
before Jacob leaves for Paddan
Aram.)
Further investigation exhibits the additional fact that
certain portions of the book are characterised by clearly-
marked peculiarities in vocabulary and 'phraseology. The
same words repeatedly occur in combination in particular
sections which are not found in others, the sections in which
they are present often containing a narrative at variance
^ The words in viii. 10, "he stayed yet other seven days," imply that a
previous period of seven days (subsequent to the forty of verse 6) had
elapsed already.
6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
with that of the sections from which they are absent. Thus
the section i.-ii, 4a has the words he fruitful and multiply ;
shall he for food for you ; swarm with swarms ; heast of the
earth, all of which occur in ix. 1-17. Other characteristic
phrases of i.-ii. 4a, like these are the generations of , after
their kind, male and female, recur together in vi. 9-22. In
xlvii, 7-1 1 the words sojournings and possession (both rather
rare words) are found in close combination, just as they are
in xxxvi. 40-xxxvii. i. The word expire is found in vi. 17,
vii. 21, XXXV. 29, xlix. 33/ in the neighbourhood of passages,
some of which, as has been shown, contain accounts of what
is likewise given in other parts of the book. A feature
like this, even if it stood by itself, cannot be adequately
explained as due to differences in the subject-matter, for
many of the words in question do not occur where they
might otherwise be expected ; for instance, the phrase
after its kind, so common in i., i.-ii. 4a, and vi. 18-22, is
absent from ii. 18 foil, (contrast especially ii. 19 and i. 25),
and vii. I -5. But appearing, as it does, in connection
with a fact equally remarkable, it can only be accounted
for on the hypothesis that the book has been compiled from
at least two sources. Such a supposition alone sn\\\ explain
satisfactorily the existence, side by side, of double records
(often mutually incompatible) of the same event, written in
styles appreciably distinct. Repetitions and inconsistencies,
no doubt, may readily be found in works of which the
authorship is confessedly not composite ; '' and the cumbrous
nature of the writing materials in use in early times must
^ Elsewhere in Genesis, only in xxv. 8, 17, which likewise have points
of contact with the other sections quoted.
- A curious instance of inconsistency occurs in Livy v. iS. Puhlmm
Lieinium Calvum trihuniim milltwm creant . . . omnesque deinccps ex collegio
eiusdemanni [OfOi B.C.) refici apparebat, L. Titinium, P. Mccnium, Q. Manlium,
Gn. Genucium, L. AtiUum. From c. xiii. it appears that L. Titinius was the
only one who was a colleague of Licinius in 401.
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 7
have rendered the detection and removal of such infinitely
more difficult than it is at present. Moreover, for one
or two of the alleged discrepancies explanations can be
offered, which, if nothing else required to be explained?
would be satisfactory enough. But many of the discre-
pancies in question baffle attempts at reconciliation ; and
the appearance of them, for the most part, simultaneously
with a change in the diction, makes it impossible to attri-
bute them, as a whole, to carelessness and inaccuracy.
It is owing to the association of striking dissimilarities in
matter and substance with a number of linguistic peculi-
arities that it is so difficult to believe that the duplicate
passages in which they occur can be due to the same hand.
The characteristic distinctions of the one or other of the sup-
posed sources are not, it must be allowed, traceable to the
same extent in all the sections which are thought to be
derived from them. But a review of those divisions which,
both by substance and style, are most easily distinguished
from the context supplies a number of criteria, the presence
of one or two of which can, in view of the conclusions to
which the rest of the narrative points, be reasonably held to
indicate the probable origin of the passages where they are
found. In certain cases, however, decisive evidence is want-
ing, and the distribution of particular verses between the
component documents is, in consequence, precarious.
The sections, which are thus homogeneous amongst them-
selves, but easily distinguishable from the rest of the book,
have their counterparts in the succeeding books as far as
Joshua ;^ and, from the fact that the corresponding passages
in Exodus-Numbers contain the Priestly legislation of the
first six books of the Bible (sometimes styled the Hexa-
teuch), are usually known as the Priestly narrative, and in-
dicated by the symbol P. Among the words and phrases
^ See Appendix A.
8 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
whicli are either generally characteristic of P, or, in the case
of certain parallel narratives, are distinctive of P's version,
are create, after its {their) kind, living creatures, siuarrii
{swarms), for food, least of the earth, creeping thing, male and
female, heget, expire, all flesh, establish a covenant, make a
covenant, he fruitful and multiply, substance, land {days) of
thy sojournings, a possessio7i of . . ., gettings, &c} It is also
marked by the absence of the Divine name Jehovah {God
being exclusively employed), by the repetition of substan-
tives in place of pronouns (i. 3, 4, vi. 9), by a legal fulness
and precision of statement (instances of which may be seen
in X. 20, 31, xvii. 7, 8, 23, 27), and by a careful regard for
all statistical and chronological data (see especially xxxvi.
and xlvi.). In the arrangement of the matter a clearly
defined plan may be detected, the narrative being divided
into sections by the recurring formula, These are the genera-
tions of . . . (ii. 4 (see note ad loc.), v. i, vi. 9, x. i,
xi. 10, xi. 27, XXV. 12, XXV. 19, xxxvi. i, xxxvii. 2). But in
Genesis the contents of P consist of little but genealogies
and enumerations, except for the accounts of the Creation,
the Flood, the institution of circumcision, the purchase by
Abraham of the burying-place at Machpelah,. the nego-
tiations between Jacob's family and the Shechemites, and
the interview between Jacob and Pharaoh. In keeping
with the prominence given to circumcision (xvii.) is the
mention of other religious observances, like the sabbatical
rest (ii. 2-3), and the prohibition of the eating of blood
(ix. 4). The writer likewise records the covenants made by
God successively with Noah, Abraham, and Jacob ; and a
comparison of Exod. vi. 3 with Gen. xvii. i seems to show
^ Isolated instances of these words may be found outside the limits
assigned to P ; it is the occurrence of these in combination that gives
to the passages to which they belong that uniformity of style which
suggests a common origin.
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 9
that lie intended to exhibit the progress of a Diviae revela-
tion marked by the three names God (UloJiim), (the most
general word, and hence used in the accounts of ante-
diluvian times), God Almighty {El Shaddai), and Jelwvah.
The portions of the book that remain after the passages
which have been assigned to P, either on the score of con-
tents or of form, or of both, have been detached, are in
point of style very similar. Favourite expressions occurring
in them are — to form (for which P has to create), least of the
field (P, least of the earth), plant of the field, engender (P,
heget), ground or soil (P, usually earth), Mot out (P, destroy,
of the Flood), each luith its mate (P, male and female), find
grace (contrast the repetition of it in xxxiii. 1-17 with its
absence from xxiii.), conceive and bear (P, usually lear alone),
shew mercy and truth, enter into (P, establish or make) a
covenant, &c. For P's Paddan Aram^ there appears the
equivalent Aram Naharaim, and for daughter of Canaan,
daughter of the Canaanites. Among other characteristics of
the narrative is the mention of altars and acts of worship,
and the explanation of the meanings of proper names.
But when a careful scrutiny of the contents of these
sections is made, differences reveal themselves parallel to,
though less striking than, those already detected between P
and the body of the work. For instance, in xxi. 31 the
name Beersheba is connected with the covenant made between
Abraham and Abimelech,^ but in xxvi. 33 with the oath
taken by Isaac and Abimelech. In xxxv. 18 mention is
made of Rachel's death, whereas in xxxvii. 10 she is alluded
to as still living. In the narrative of xlii.-xliv., xliii. 21
(where the money of each of the brethren is said to have
been discovered at the lodging-place, in accordance with
the facts of xlii. 27) is inconsistent with xlii. 35 (where the
^ Except for the words sware (Heb. shaba) buth of them, the name would
naturally be explained by tlie seven (Heb. ,<heba) ewe lambs.
lo THE BOOK OF GENESIS
money is found at the end of the journey, agreeably with
xlii. 25, which states that they were supplied with pro-
visions for the way). Inconsistencies such as these point
to a diverse authorship, but the resemblance in style is so
close that, in the absence of awkward repetitions or glaring
discrepancies, it would be impossible to attempt the separa-
tion if it were not for one fact. It has already been noticed
that P is marked by the absence of the name Jcliovah, but
in the section here under consideration the names Jehovah
and God are both employed.^ The use of one or other of
the two names might in some instances, no doubt, be
accounted for by the original distinction between them ;
for Jehovah is the proper name for Israel's God, and so
would be in place only in narratives specially concerned
with the chosen race, or in the mouth of Israel's ancestors
in converse with one another; whereas in the intercourse
between Israelites and heathens, the more general designa-
tion God {Elohim) would naturally be employed (see xxxix.
9, xl. 8, xli. 39). The interchange might, in other cases,
be plausibly attributed to the desire for variety.^ But it
will be seen that these considerations will not explain all
the facts.^ In particular sections, beginning with xx., one
of the names appears to be uniformly used to the exclusion
of the other ; compare especially xviii. and xxiv. with xxi.
6-3 la. In only a few cases, indeed, is the use of the two
1 It must be understood that it is the absolute u.^e of God, unqualified
by a genitive or a possessive pronoun, that is referred to.
'-* E.g., Gen. xxvii. 27, 28.
•* Thus it might be urged that the name God is appropriate in the dis-
cussion between Abraham and the king of Gerar (xx.), and in the inter-
course between Joseph and various Egyptians (xxxix. 9, xl. 8, xli. 39);
and that the same Divine name is in place in the narrative of Hagar and
Ishmael (xxi.), the use of Jehovah being resumed when the historian pro-
ceeds with the history of Isaac {e.(j., xxiv.). But in chap. xxvi. Jehovah is
employed in connection with foreigners ; whilst in xvii. (except v. i) and
xlvi., where, if the names were used significantly, Jehovah might have
been expected, God appears throughout.
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS ii
terms accompanied by a difference in the subject-matter ;
but the fact that in the parts which are outside P the word
God occurs rarely and irregularly before xx., whilst after
that chapter whole sections are characterised by it, seems
best accounted for by the assumption that they proceed
from different hands. In consequence of this feature, the
divisions thus distinguished are indicated respectively by
E (for Eloliim) and J (for Jehovah). As, however, the de-
marcation between them is often obscure, it is convenient
to treat them in conjunction, and the combined sections
are usually known as JE.^
To the portions of Genesis and the following books which
are thus designated, the term Prophetic narrative has been
applied by way of contrast to the Priestly narrative sym-
bolised by P. The reason for this is the reference which,
as will be seen, is made to it by certain of the pre-exile
prophets. Abraham is styled a prophet (xx, 7), and special
prominence is given in the record to Divine appearances
and revelations (xii. i, 7, xv. i foil, xvi. 7 foil., &c.).
Predictions by men are described in xxvii. 27, 39, xlix. i,
1. 24 ; and the erection of altars and the performance of
acts of worship are repeatedly mentioned (xii. 7, 8, xiii. 18,
xxii. 9, &c.). In contrast to P, the representation of the
Deity is extremely anthropomorphic (see ii. 8, 15, 21, iii.
8, xi. 5, 7), bat, in spite of the crudeness of much of
the language used, the conceptions which it embodies are
elevated and dignified.
In the Pentateuch and Joshua, taken as a whole, another
element appears besides JE and P, viz., the contribution of
the Deuteronomist (usually denoted by the symbol D). Like
P, D has a very distinctive style ; but as it is almost entirely
confined to the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua, it does
1 It may be noted that E uses maid-servant and sack where J prefers
hand-maiden and ixmnier.
12 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
not come within the scope of the present work to do more
than mention it.
That Genesis, and the five books that follow it, should thus
be made ujj of extracts taken from different sources, without
any explicit indication that such is the case, is not out of
harmony with Hebrew usage. In several of the subsequent
books there are many passages common to two writers which
must either havfe been borrowed by one from the other, or
incorporated by both from a third author. Thus, to adduce
a few examples only : —
2 Sam. xxii. is identical with Ps. xviii.
2 Kings xviii. 13-xx. 19 is identical with Isa. xxxvi.-xxxix. (except
xxxix. 9-22).
Isa. ii. 1-4 is identical with Mic. iv. 1-3.
Jer. lii. 1-27 is identical with 2 Kings xxiv. i8-xxv. 21.
The transcription and incorporation of passages belonging
to other compositions has been practised on a still larger
scale in the construction of the books of Chronicles, as
may be observed from a comparison of the following : —
1 Sam. xxxi. is identical with i Chron. x. 1-12.
2 Sam. V. 1-3 ,, „ I Chron. xi. 1-3.
2 Sam. vii., viii. ,, „ i Chron. xvii., xviii.
2 Sam. X. ,, ,, I Chron. xix.
The method which has been employed can be most easily
seen from the following parallels, where the common element
is indicated by italics : —
2 Sam. xi. I. i Chron. xx. 1-3.
And it came to pass, at the return Aoid it came to pass, at the time of
of the year, at the time when kings go the return of the year, at the time
out to battle, that David sent Joab, ivhcn kings go out to hattic, that Joab
and his servants with him, and all led forth the power of the army,
Israel : and they destroyed the chil- and destroyed the country of the
dren of Ammon, and laid siege SLgainst children of Amman, and came and
Rahbah. But David tarried at Jeru- laid siege to Rabbah. But David
salem. tarried at Jerusalem. And Joed)
(xi. 2-xii. 25 omitted.) smote Rabbah, and overthrew it.
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS
2 Sam. xii. 26-31.
And Joah fought against Rahhah
of the children of Ammon, and took
the royal city. And Joab sent mes-
sengers to David, and said, I have
fought against Kabbah, yea, I have
taken the city of waters. Now
therefore gather the rest of the
people together, and encamp against
the city, and take it ; lest I take
the city, and it be called after my
name. And David gathered all the
people together, and went to Eab-
bah, and fought against it, and took
it. And he took the vroicn of their
Tcingfrom off his head : and the weight
thereof ivas a talent of gold, and in
it were precious stones; and it was
set on David's head. And he brought
forth the spoil of the citi/, exceeding
much. And he brought forth the,
people that were therein, and put
them under saius, and under harrows
of iron, and under axes of iron ; and
made them pass through the brick-
kiln : and thus did he unto all the
cities of the children of Ammon. And
David and all the people returned to
Jerusalem.
And David took the crown of their
king from off' his head, and found it
in iveight a talent of gold, and there
were precious stones in it ; and it was
set upon David's head : and he brought
forth the spoil of the city, exceeding
much. And he brought forth the
people that were therein, and cut
them with saws, and with harrows of
iron, and with axes. And thus did
David unto all the cities of the chil-
dren of Amman' And David and al
the 'peoptle returned to Jerusalem.
I Kings xiv. 25-28.
And it came to pass in the fifth year
of King Rehohoam, that Shishak, king
of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem :
and he took away the treasures of the
house of Jehovah, and the treasures of
the king's house; he even took aioay
all: and he took away all the shields
of gold ivhich Solomon had made.
And King Rehoboam made in their
stead shields of brass, and committed
them to the haiuls of the captains of
the guard which kept the door of the
king's house. And it xvas so, that as
oft as the king went into the house of
Jehovah, the guard bare them, and
brought them back into the guard-
chamber.
2 Chkon. xii. 2-1 1.
And it came to pass in the fifth year
of King Rehoboam that Shishak, king
of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem,
because they had trespassed against
Jehovah, with twelve hundred
chariots and threescore thousand
horsemen : and the people were
without number that came with
him out of Egypt ; the Lubim, the
Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians. And
he took the fenced cities which
pertained to Judah, and came unto
Jerusalem. Now Shemaiah the pro-
phet came to Rehoboam, and to the
princes of Judah, thatwere gathered
together to Jerusalem because of
Shishak, and said unto them, Thus
saith Jehovah, Ye have forsaken
14 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
me, therefore have I also left you
in the hand of Shishak. Then the
princes of Israel and the king
humbled themselves ; and they
said, Jehovah is righteous. And
when Jehovah saw that they
humbled themselves, the word of
Jehovah came to Shemaiah saying,
They have humbled themselves ; I
will not destroy them : but I will
grant them some deliverance, and
my wrath shall not be poured out
upon Jerusalem by the hand of
Shishak. Nevertheless, they shall
be his servants ; that they may
know my service, and the service
of the kingdoms of the countries.
So ShishaJc, ling of Egypt, came up
against JerusaJeyii, and took away the
treasures of the house of Jehovah, and
the treasures of the king's house ; he
took all aivay : he took away also the
shields of gold which Solomon had
made. And King Mekohoam made in
their stead shields of brass, and com-
mitted them to the hands of the cap-
tains of the guard, that kept the door
of the king's house. And it was so,
that as oft as the king loent into the
house of Jehovah, the guard came
and iare them, and brought them
back into the guard-chamber.
From these examples it is clear that the chronicler ex-
tracted verbatim from the books of Samuel and Kings such
passages as suited his purpose, making at the same time
some omissions, and incorporating additional material. The
sources from which the latter was taken can only be conjec-
tured; but it seems probable that in many cases it was
derived from the writings of the prophets, to whom he
makes repeated reference, e.g., Jehu, Iddo, Shemaiah, &c.,
the history of the last named being perhaps the origin of the
passage interpolated between the 25th and 26th verses of
I Kings xiv., as quoted above. In many places the language
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 15
used bears the stamp of the chronicler's own age,^ but it is
possible that in some instances he has literally copied his
prophetic authorities. If so, the books of Chronicles will
then have been pieced together from more than a single
source.^ Be this as it may, it is manifest that they have in
part been compiled by the transcription of isolated sections
of at least one earlier work, which is still extant. The pro-
cess of composition which the writer of Genesis is thought to
have adopted is thus known to have been actually followed
by a Jewish historian: the argument only fails of being
demonstrative from the fact that the original sources from
which it is implied that the narrative was composed cannot
be produced.
The previous condition and history of the constituent
parts may, in some degree, be inferred from the resultant
combination. If JE is rightly regarded as composite, it is
probable, from the fact that a closer connection prevails
between its component elements than between the two
together and P, that it existed in a separate form before P
was united with it. That P was also a separate work, in-
corporated with JE by a subsequent writer, aud not merely
a supplementary addition made to the latter by the historian
himself who transcribed it, is rendered likely by the character
of some of the discrepancies. It has already been noticed
that in the sections ascribed to P there appears to be repre-
sented a progressive revelation of God under the three names
Elohim, El Shaddai, and Jehovah. But in the Pentateuch
as it stands this is altogether obscured and contradicted by
^ See Driver, "The Speeches in Chronicles," in the Expositor for April
1895.
- Besides the account of Jehoshaphat's reign, incorporated in 2 Chron.
XX. 31-33 from I Kings, a duplicate narrative is given in xvii. 1-6, which,
in V. 6, contradicts the statement respecting the high places contained in
the other version. The discrepancies between the supposed sources of
Genesis thus find a parallel in Chronicles (c/. also 2 Chron. xiv. 5 with xv.
17 (from I Kings sv. 14)).
i6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
the occurrence before Exod. vi. 3 of a passage like Gen. xv. 7
[cf. also iv. 26). The inference is, therefore, unavoidable
that P once had an independent existence, and was combined
with JE by a compiler or redactor, whose general purjDose
did not include within its scope this particular object aimed
at in one of the writings he used. That E, J, and P, as they
are embodied in the Pentateuch, are not comjalete documents
will be obvious from a cursory inspection. Prior to xx., as
has been said, the name God (EloTiini) is rarely found outside
the limits of P ; ^ so that those portions of i.-xix. which do not
belong to P seem to be derived almost entirely from J.
E's narrative consequently appears without any proper
beginning, and has been preserved only in detached frag-
ments. The commencement of J's account of the patriarchs
is found in xii., to which the previous chapters serve as an
introduction, and place the origin of Israel in connection
with that of the human race in general. Gaps in the
narrative (if the analysis has been correctly effected) are
visible between iv. 26 and v. 29 ; vi. 8 and vii. I ; ix. 27 and
X. 8 ; xi. 9 and xi. 28 ; xxxiii. 20 and xxxiv. 2&, and else-
where. It is likewise easily apparent that P, as it is
incorporated in Genesis, is not a complete whole. In the
account of the Flood it will be seen that the description of
the world as corrupt (vi. 12), following upon the satisfaction
with which it is implied (in ii. 3) that God contemplated
His creation, involves, as it stands, a most violent transition.
The passage xix. 29 refers to an event which demands an
explanation, but does not obtain it within the limits of P ;
whilst similarly the history of Jacob's acquisitions in Paddan
Aram has to be sought for in JE, whose account separates
the isolated sections of P given in xxviii. 1-5 and xxxi. 18.
Especially towards the close of the book is the history
supplied by this source meagre and fragmentary, nothing
' Only in iii. i, 3, 5 ; iv. 25 ; vii. 9 ; ix. 27 {<■/. Grit. Notes).
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 17
being said, for instance, of the way in which Joseph was
brought into Egypt, or why Jacob and his other sons joined
him there. It is clear, therefore, that all three documents
were originally more extensive, and that only certain portions
of each have been j^reserved, and dovetailed together so
as to construct a continuous and evenly-flowing narrative.
But the fact that isolated sections of different writings have
produced so harmonious a result indicates that the original
sources, in spite of discrepancies, must have contained a
good deal in common.
That the compiler, in the selection and rejection of his
materials, followed a definite plan is evident from the
structure of the so-called Hexateuch (see p. 3). Traces of
purpose, too, are observable in the combination of the
two names Jehovah and God in Gen. ii. and iii. It would
appear, however, that in general the process of uniting
the passages excerpted from the sources used has been
effected with the minimum of alteration and modifi-
cation, though in some cases inconsistencies of statement
seem to have been smoothed over by the insertion of
connecting links and explanatory notes {e.g., ix. i85, 22).
To the work of compilation is probably due the confusion
of characteristics which is visible in certain sections, which,
though unmistakably belonging, by their general colour, to
one document, contain words and phrases distinctive of
another (see vi. 7, vii. 7-10, xvii. i, xxi. it). To the same
may be assigned the glosses which are found here and there
throughout the book {e.g., xiv. 2, 3, &c., xxxi. 53, xxxv.
19, xlviii. 7), whilst the resemblance to the style of Deut-
eronomy, noticeable in xxvi. 5, is probably likewise to be
attributed to it. But whilst the compiler's hand is thus
clearly discernible in numerous passages, it is quite possible,
if not probable, that the compiler may so successfully have
caught the style of his materials that his handiwork cannot
i8 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
now be detected. In certain passages the only criteria
which are available for assigning them to their respective
sources are so slight that the accidental substitution, by
the compiler or a copyist, of one word for another might
materially affect the division. Such considerations are not
sufficient to throw doubt upon the general results arrived
at, especially with regard to the detachment of P, between
which and the rest of the book the difference in vocabulary,
literary style, and contents is so pronounced that it is
impossible not to recognise that they must have had a
separate origin, and that their limits are clearly traceable.
But they cannot but impair the confidence with which
the conclusions of critics are entertained in respect of sec-
tions where the data are few and of one kind. More parti-
cularly between J and E are the dividing lines difficult
to draw with any precision; and consequently in the text
the two are left in combination, though in the critical notes
attempts have been made to distinguish between them, where
the materials for so doing appear adequate.
The question of the authorship of Genesis is involved in
that of the authorship of the Pentateuch as a whole. Tradi-
tion has generally assigned it to Moses, though the work, as
it stands, confessedly cannot proceed from him, since it con-
tains the account of his death (Deut. xxxiv.) ; ^ whilst the
expression unto this day (Deut. ii. 22, iii. 14), attached to
certain statements, could only have been used when the facts
described had long become a matter of history. The short
explanations added to local names (Deut. iv. 48 and else-
where) also indicate that the earlier appellations put into the
mouth of Moses had been forgotten by lapse of time ; whilst
there are certain passages which imply the settlement of
Canaan and the establishment of the monarchy : e.g.. The
1 According to Jewish tradition, tl:e last eight verses of Deuteronomy
were added by Joshua.
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 19
Canaanite was then in the land (Geu. xii. 6, xiii, 7 ; cf. Deut.
ii. 10-12); These are the kings that reigned in the land of
Udom before there reigned any king over the children of Israel
(Gen. xxxvi. 31). Most of these passages, indeed, can easily
be detached from the context and explained as the insertions
of revisers or copyists. But when all such are excluded,
there remain others which are scarcely in keeping with
Mosaic authorship, and yet are too closely interwoven with
the texture of the narrative to be readily separated. That
Moses is always spoken of in the third person certainly
proves nothing in view of the parallel furnished by Csesar's
Commentaries ; but certain phrases employed seem very
inappropriate if used by Moses himself : e.g., Tlic man Moses
was very great in the land of Egypt (Exod. xi. 3) ; The man
Moses was very meek, above all the men that ivere ujjon the face
of the earth (Num. xii. 3). What look like references to
later history are also observable in Exod. xv. 1 3 ; Deut. xxxiii.
4, 5 (R.Y. margin), 7, 2yh. But with the analysis of the Penta-
teuch into the sources described, the question whether, in its
existing shape (with all allowances made for possible addi-
tions and glosses), it can be the work of Moses, seems more
decisively settled. If the fact is established that it is com-
piled from at least three different documents, distinct in
style and vocabulary, the belief that Moses was its author
must be abandoned, for the documents in question each
contain portions of the legislation attributed to him. If the
divergent phraseology, upon which the theory of component
documents in part depends, was confined to Genesis, the view
that Moses himself was the compiler of them might be enter-
tained. But the fact, previously noticed, that it extends
throughout the Pentateuch, puts it out of the question ; for
it is incredible that Moses should have written different
sections of his own memoirs in such strikingly dissimilar styles
as those of JE and P, where there is no sufficient variety in
20 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
their subject-matter to account for such a marked change in
the language. And when the book of Joshua is likewise
found to be constructed from the same three sources, and
to constitute (with the Pentateuch) one single work, it is
clear that the compiler must have lived after the settlement
in Canaan and the death of Joshua (which he records), and
a fortiori considerably after the time of Moses.
A more exact determination of his date, however, is a
difficult question. The compilation must obviously be later
than the three sources used, but the times when these were
severally written can only be conjectured. Such indications
as are obtainable in regard to the point are furnished by (i)
the internal evidence afforded by each ; (2) the relations
observed to exist between them when comjDared with one
another; (3) the references made to their contents in the
subsequent history, and the resemblance in style found
to prevail between them and other writers whose dates are
approximately known.
I. Mention has already been made of passages which
imply a knowledge of Israelite kings. If it appears that the
books in which these occur are certainly later than Moses'
time, there is no reason for regarding them as tke additions
of a reviser; and they may therefore be considered to
indicate that the documents in which they are found are,
in their present form, subsequent to the institution of the
kingdom. This, it is needless to say, does not imply that all
their contents were unknown previously. On the contrary,
that a large part of what is included in Exodus-Deutero-
nomy is of Mosaic origin is clear from (a) the universal
belief of later times that Moses was the founder of the
Jewish legal system ;i (b) the mention of records drawn up
^ It has been observed that in the earlier of the subsequent books of the
Old Testament Moses appears as the giver, but not as the writer, of the
law (Judges iii. 4 ; 2 Kings xxi. 8, xxiii. 25). A written law of Moses,
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 21
by Moses in connection with the legislation of JE (Exod.
xxiv. 4, 7) and Deuteronomy (xxxi. 9),^ and with the
itinerary contained in Num. xxxiii. (P) ; (c) the witness of
the historical books to the existence, from the times of the
Judges onwards, of many of the distinctive institutions and
usages of each of the three documents.^
2. A comparison of the laws contained in JE, D, and P
shows that whilst they have many elements in common,
these are nevertheless accompanied by several striking diver-
gences.2 Some of these might be explained, no doubt, as
due to corrections and modifications suggested by experience
within Moses' lifetime ; and it is noteworthy that inconsis-
tent laws occur within P itself.* But the differences are
of too serious a character to be explained altogether in this
way, especially as all the enactments between Exod. xx. and
Num. X. 10 are compressed within a space of less than a
year (see Exod. xix. i ; Num. x. 1 1, 12) ; and they suggest, of
themselves, that the laws are not all Mosaic, but are the out-
come of a legislative activity extending over a much longer
period than that covered by a single life. If the work of
Moses lay at the root of Jewish legislation, it is intelli-
gible that oi'dinances subsequently laid down should have
been amalgamated with previous provisions, without any dis-
tinction being drawn between what proceeded from Moses
indeed, is mentioned more than once (i Kings ii. 3 ; 2 Kings xiv. 6), the
reference being to Deuteronomy ; but it is not until 2 Chiron, xxv. 4 that
the expression " the law, the book of Moses," occurs, the allusion again
being to Deuteronomy. On the other hand, the whole of the Pentateuch
is nowhere ascribed to Moses in the Old Testament.
^ That much of D's substance is of early date is further shown by its
containing provisions which could only apply to the times of Moses and
Joshua; e.g., the injunctions to give no quarter to the Canaanites (vii.
1-5, XX. 16-18), and the reference to Amalek (xxv. 17). Cf. also the
allusions to Egypt in vii. 15, xvii. 16; and to Egyptian usages in xi. 10,
xxv. 4.
2 See Appendix B. ' See Appendix C.
•* Cf. Num. viii. 24 beside Num. iv. 3 ; Exod. xxxviii. 25-31 beside Exod.
XXX. 12-16 ; Lev. xvi. 18 beside Exod. xxx. 10.
2 2 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
himself and what was a later development of his principles.
Deuteronomy (which purports to be an account of the address
given by Moses at the close of the forty years' wandering in
the wilderness, see i. 1-3) repeats the greater part of the
regulations of JE, most of the modifications observable being
explicable in view of the approaching entrance into Canaan,
whilst the historical review it contains is likewise mainly
based upon the narrative of the latter. But between D and
P the relations are more complex. On the one hand,
Deut. xiv. 4-20 is almost identical with Lev. xi. 2-20, the
style showing that the latter is the original; whilst there
seem to be several allusions to facts which P alone mentions.^
On the other hand, the discrepancies between the laws of D
and P in general are numerous and considerable, the impres-
sion they produce being that P has been elaborated from D
rather than that D has been simplified from P. This points
to the conclusion that whilst JE is earlier than D, parts of P
are later. The actual date of D, however, has not been satis-
factorily determined ; for though it cannot be subsequent to
the time of Josiali, in whose reign a copy of it was found in
the Temple, and whose reforms in 621 B.C. were based upon
it,- it is difiicult to decide how much earlier it may have been
^ E.g., i. 23 {twelve men, cf. Num. xiii. 2), i. 37 (Num. xx. 12), i. 38
(Num. xxvii. 12-23), ^- 3 («" «''^' of acacia wood, Exod. xxv. 10), x. 5 (Exod.
xl. 20), X. 22 (Gen. xlvi. 27), xxiv. 8 (Lev. xiii. and xiv.). With regard to
these, it will be seen that to many of the passages referred to parallels
existed in JE ; and it is therefore possible that the allusions are really
to statements made by JE, which the compiler has omitted in favour of
the narrative of P.
^ Its identity with the book found in Josiah's reign in the Temple is
clear from (a) the correspondence between 2 Kings xxiii. 2 and Deut.
xxix. I ; 2 Kings xxiii. 3 and Deut. vi. 17 ; 2 Kings xxiii. 21 and Deut.
xvi. I ; ih) the fact that Josiah's reforms were on the lines of Deuteronomy,
e.g., the destruction of pillars and Asherim [cf. Deut. xii. 3, xvi. 21), and of
the houses of the sodomites {cf. Deut. xxiii. 17), the abolition of the high
places and other unauthorised seats of worship {cf. Deut. xii. 2, 13), the
putting down of the priests who burnt incense to Baal, and to the sun,
moon, and planets, and host of heaven {cf. Deut. xvii. 2-5), and the defile-
ment of Topheth (Deut. sviii. 10).
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 23
composed. Comparison of the documents consequently only-
helps to settle the order of their succession, and does not
furnish a clue to anything more precise.^
3. In the succeeding historical books allusions occur to
customs and institutions described in all parts of the Pen-
tateuch indiscriminately. But in many cases, where the
laws of P are inconsistent with those contained in the other
documents, it will be found that the practice of the times of
the Judges and Kings agrees with the latter, the regulations
of P being ignored under circumstances which seem to pre-
clude the supposition that such neglect was due to wilful
or accidental disobedience. ^ This confirms the conclusion
already reached that P, as a whole, is of late origin, whilst
JE is relatively early. But precise allusions, such as indicate
a knowledge of the documents themselves, are not found
even in the case of JE until the eighth century. The
writings of the prophets Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah
are the first which display acquaintance with the actual
narrative of JE.^ From this it appears that the document
in question cannot be later than 750 B.C., and between this
date and the beginning of the monarchy (in the eleventh
century B.C.) its composition may reasonably be placed.
D only comes under notice here so far as it affects the
date of JE and P. It has already been stated that it was
certainly composed before 621 B.C., and probably much
earlier. Whether it was used by the prophets of the eighth
1 The denunciation of planet-worship has been held to point to the
reign of Manasseh, who was the first of Judsean monarchs who is recorded
to have practised it (2 Kings xxi. 3). But the worship is mentioned in
connection with Israel considerably earlier (2 Kings xvii. 16), so that it
must have been a danger to Judah before the reign of Hezekiah. The
restriction of the worship of Jehovah to a central sanctuary (upon which
Deuteronomy insists so strongly, see xii. 5 foil.) was enforced by Hezekiah,
according to 2 Kings xviii. 4, 22, so that there seems reason for thinking
that the book was in existence at least as early as his time.
* See Appendix D, ^ See Appendix E.
24 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
century is perhaps doubtful. The passages which most
nearly reflect its language are given in Appendix E.
In regard to P, Amos and his contemporaries show here
and there some resemblance to its phraseology, and still
nearer parallels occur in Jeremiah, who began to prophesy
at the end of the seventh century.^ But Ezekiel, whose
proi:)hetic work began in 592 B.C., and whose writings are
later than 570, is the first who exhibits a close acquaintance
not with P's contents only, but also with its actual wording.
As will be seen from Appendix E., much of the distinctive
vocabulary of P is met with in Ezekiel. This similarity of
style between P and the post-exilic prophet may be ex-
plained in more than one way ; but, on the v/hole, there is
some plausibility in the view that it was during the Captivity
that P assumed its final shape, and parts have been thought
to be even later than Ezekiel's time. A post-exilic date is
also favoured by the points of contact with it found in the
latter half of the book of Isaiah, and in Haggai and Zech-
ariah ; and the only actual quotation from it in the historical
books is made by the writer of the books of Kings (i Kings
xviii. 31). 2 The references to it in pre-exilic writings (if
they may be regarded as certain) are best accounted for by
supposing that portions of it existed in writing at -an earlier
period.3 It has been suggested that Ezra was the final
editor of the Pentateuch, and united together the various
documents of which it is composed. Such a conjecture
seems not improbable in view of the description of him in
Ezra vii. 6 as "a ready scribe in the law of Moses," and of
the story in the Apocryphal 2 Esdras (xiv. 21, 22) that he
1 See Appendix E.
* Since 2 Kings describes the end of the Jewish kingdom, it must have
been written subsequently to its overthrow.
3 Many critics, liowever, hold that P was virtually completed before the
Exile, though perhaps not widely circulated, or regarded as authoritative
{rf. Driver, IntrocL, p. 134).
THE LITERARY ANALYSIS 25
re-wrote the law which had been destroyed ; ^ but there
exists no trustworthy evidence bearing upon the point.
Of the conclusions reached in this chapter respecting the
composition and date of Genesis, the uniform reference by
the writers of the New Testament to statements in the
Pentateuch as proceeding from Moses {e.g., Rom. x. 5 = Lev.
xviil 5) cannot be regarded as a disproof. There seems to
be no reason for sujaposing that more authority attaches to
their views respecting the authorship and date of the Jewish
Scriptures than to those of their contemporaries. In the
case of our Lord the question is more serious ; but our
ignorance of the manner in which the union of the divine
and human natures in Him was adjusted seems to warrant
a refusal to consider His adoption of the current language
of His time as decisive of its accuracy. In certain cases,
at any rate, the countenance He gave to popular views was
clearly nothing more than the accommodation necessary to
render Him intelligible to his hearers. ^ His ascription to
Moses of passages taken alike from JE (Mark vii. io = Exod.
XX. 12, xxi. 17), P (Matt. viii. 4 = Lev. xiv. 3, 4, ic), and D
(Matt. xix. 8 = Deut. xxiv. i), seems to be of this kind, and
does not appear to preclude the inferences drawn in the
preceding pages.
^ The passage goes on to ascribe to Ezra the writing, in addition, of
all the canonical books, and of seventy others besides. The number 204
in ver. 44 seems to be an error for 94 (given by many of the versions),
which is made up of the twenty-four canonical books, and the seventy
mentioned in ver. 46 (see Driver, Introd., p. xxx.).
^ K(/., in His address to the Canaanitish woman, "It is not meet to
take the children's bread, and cast it to the dogs" (Matt. xv. 26), "the
dogs " being a term of contempt applied by the Jews to the Gentiles at
large. See Sanday, Inspiration, p. 419.
CHAPTER II
THE MYTHS
The book of Genesis, by the break between chaps, xi. and xii.,
is divided, as has been said, into two halves, which, though
they have certain features in common, are yet broadly dis-
tinguished from one another. The section from chap. xii.
onwards, though it contains much that is marvellous, never-
theless describes personalities which are sufficiently lifelike,
and experiences which are for the most part sufficiently
consistent with general probability, to make the question
of its historic value deserving of serious consideration. On
the other hand, the first eleven chapters, though they con-
tain a certain amount of circumstantial detail, and allude
to certain well-known localities, are obviously of a different
character, their contents bearing a strong resemblance to
the myths of other nations. Such myths are the conjectural
explanations with which primitive races satisfy their curio-
sity about such of their surroundings and experiences as
excite their wonder, interest, or awe. They profess especially
to account for the existence of the world and its inhabitants,
for the occurrence of fortunate and calamitous events, for
the development of the arts, and for the observance of rites,
customs, and usages. They are stories, produced in good
faith, to answer the questions about things in general which
the earliest exercise of reflection cannot fail to suggest. To
this class of mental creations the early narratives of Genesis
appear to belong. They represent the ideas prevalent among
the Hebrew race concerning the beginnings of the earth and
THE MYTHS
27
man, of sin and sorrow, and of the diffusion of mankind.
Of some of them the full significance is obscure, not more
perhaps from our ignorance of the precise occasions which
suggested them than from our inability to enter into the
state of mind which gave them form and shape. But, in
general, the problems of which they attempt to supply a
solution are familiar enough, and show, as might be ex-
pected, that Jewish history begins, like that of most other
nations, with cosmogonical and racial legends.
Into a discussion of such legends it would be unnecessary
to enter, if it were not, on the one hand, for the resemblance
which, in some cases, exists between them and the results
of modern scientific inquiry, and, on the other hand, for the
influence they have had in moulding theological theories.
Under such circumstances it is perhaps desirable to treat
somewhat at length the three principal narratives of (i) the
Creation, (2) Paradise and the Tall, (3) the Flood.
I. The Creation Story.
In Genesis two descriptions of the Creation occur, one in
i.-ii. 4«, derived from P, the other (into which the account
of Paradise enters) in ii. 4^-25, taken from JE. In the
former, the most prominent features of the universe (the
light, the sun, moon, and planets, the earth, the sea, the
sky), and the chief occupants of the earth (fishes, reptiles,
birds, beasts, and man, together with vegetation), are divided
into groups, and their creation is represented as taking place
in chronological succession. The arrangement adopted is a
natural and luminous one, though in no sense scientific.
The earth is the centre round which the action revolves, and
the other parts of the universe are viewed in relation to it.
The various stages of the Creator's work are marked by the
simplest, commonest, and most strongly marked division of
28 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
time employed in connection with human labour, viz., the
day. The process through which the earth came into its
present condition is represented as being a gradual one, and
the order observed in it approaches (it has been said) more
nearly to that recognised by geologists and biologists than
that of any other cosmogony. The production of both animal
life and vegetation is ascribed to the earth and waters,
in virtue of the command of God. There is nothing to
imply that only a single pair of each kind was conceived
as created ; the phrase of i. 20 points the other way. At
the end of the series of creative acts, as the climax to
which the process of the world's making leads, man is in-
troduced. As it is mainly in their bearing upon the needs
of earth that the sun and moon are regarded, so the earth
itself with its creatures is made subservient to man, whilst
the vegetable world is assigned to him for meat. In the re-
striction both of man and of the lower animals to a vegetable
diet, an element of idealism is introduced into a description
the details of which do not otherwise go beyond what a
superficial review of Nature might suggest.
The alternative version from JE is much less comprehen-
sive in character. It is not marked by any division of time,
and is concerned chiefly with the creation of iiian, birds
and animals, and woman. It deals more minutely with the
creative process than the other document, attributing the
fertilisation of the earth to the rain, and regarding man as
formed from the dust, and woman from one of man's ribs.
The lowly origin thus ascribed to man is a striking contrast
to the dignified account in i. 27; and the passage in iii. 5
(also from J) seems likewise to be inconsistent with P's
narrative in c. i. It is further implied that only a single
pair of human beings was made, from whom the whole
human race descended. This account also differs from the
preceding (i) in the order of creation, or at least in the
THE MYTHS
29
different position assigned to man, who is here the centre
rather than the climax of creation ; (2) in the incomplete
specification of the animals, water animals and reptiles
being omitted.
The foreign myths to which the stories at the beginning
of Genesis are most nearly allied are those of the Babylonians,
part of whose legend of the Creation, as deciphered from
the clay tablets^ found at Kouyunjik, the site of the ruined
city of Nineveh, is given below : - —
" When on high the heavens proclaimed not, and earth
beneath recorded not, a name, then the abyss of waters was
in the beginning their generator, the chaos of the deep
(Tiamat) was she who bore them all. Their waters were
embosomed together, and the plant was ungathered, the
herb (of the field) ungrown. When the gods had not
appeared, any one (of them), by no name were they recorded ;
no destiny (had they fixed). Then were the (great) gods
created, Lakhmu and Lakhamu issued forth (the first),
until they grew up (and waxed old), when the gods Sar and
Kisar were created. Long were the days (until) the gods
Anu (Bel and Ea were created), Sar (and Kisar created
them). . . .
"He (i.e., the god Merodach) prepared the mansion of
the great gods ; he fixed the stars that corresponded with
them, even the twin-stars. He ordained the year, appoint-
ing the stars of the Zodiac over it : for each of the twelve
months he fixed three stars, from the day when the year
issues forth to (its) close. He founded the mansion of the
Sun-god who passes along the ecliptic, that they might
know their bounds, that they might not err, that they might
not go astray in any way. . . .
1 The tablets date from the seventh century B.C., but the substance of
what is recorded on them is believed to be very much older.
^ See Sayce, The Higher Criticism and the Monuments, p. 63 foil.
30 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
"He illuminated the Moon-god that he might be watch-
man of the night, and ordained for him the ending of the
night that the day may be known. . . .
" At that time the gods in their assembly created (the
beasts). They made perfect the mighty (monsters). They
caused the living creatures (of the field) to come forth, the
cattle of the field, (the wild beasts) of the field, and the
creeping things (of the field). (They fixed their habitations)
for the living creatures of the field. They distributed (in
their dwelling-places) the cattle and the creeping things
of the city. They made strong the multitude of creeping
things, all the offspring (of the ground)."
The points of resemblance between the two accounts which
are specially noticeable are (i) the existence, before the
creation of heaven and earth, of a surging chaos, to which
similar names are applied (Bab. tiamat, Heb. tcJiom) ; (2) the
absence of vegetation (Gen. ii. 5) ; (3) the creation of the
stars, their connection with the years and months, and the
appointment of the moon to preside over the night (c/. Gen.
i. 14-16) ; (4) the subsequent creation of the living creatures,
subdivided into living creatures of the field, cattle of the
field, and creeping things (Gen. i. 24). A term answering
to the Hebrew " Sabbath " is also found in the inscriptions,
and, like the Hebrew word, designates the seventh day as a
day of rest.^
But in spite of these many common features, the reli-
gious conceptions which pervade the Chaldasan and Biblical
narratives are very different, (i.) The Chaldtean record is
polytheistic, and the first passage quoted above is followed
in the inscriptions by the account of a conflict between the
gods and Tiamat ; whereas the Bible recognises only one
1 Some authorities explain it to mean a day of jiropitiat'wn. In the
Assyrian calendar, the 7th, 14th, 19th, 21st, and 28tli days of the month
had a sacred character, and were regarded as inauspicious for the per-
formance of certain acts. (See Davis, Genesis and Semitic Tradition, p. 25.)
THE MYTHS 31
God. In place of the belief in a number of contending and
antagonistic powers presiding ov^er the world, there is sub-
stituted that of a single sovereign will, creating and con-
trolling it. The plural form of the Hebrew word God may,
indeed, preserve a trace of earlier polytheistic conceptions
{cf. also i. 26), but the almost uniform use of it with a
singular verb indicates that the idea of the unity of God
was firmly grasped.^ Such a conception obviously makes
for the intelligent comprehension of the universe, and gives
coherence and purpose to the diversity pervading it. (2.)
In the Chaldaean legend, though the gods are represented
as creating the planets and the inhabitants of the earth, yet
they themselves emerge from the primeval chaos ; and the
terms in which the latter is spoken of are suggestive of a
dualism against which the constant repetition in the Bible
of the Divine fiat before each stage of the creative process
seems to be a protest. From the beginning of Genesis
onwards the pre- existence of God is assumed ; and though,
it is true, no explanation is given of how chaos came into
being, yet it is throughout represented as wholly inert
and passive, possessed of none of the spontaneous powers of
generation attributed to it in the Babylonian inscriptions.
It is only in consequence of the utterance of the Divine
will that the earth puts forth vegetation and the waters
swarm with living creatures. The distinction which is
thus drawn between God and the matter upon which He
works further shows that the Biblical account is free from
the pantheism which merges God in Nature. The spirit of
G od, whilst operating through, first, chaos, and, subsequently,
the ordered universe, is nowhere confused with the material
substratum which subserves His purposes.
1 The same plural form, however, is also used of the individual heathen
deities Chemosh, Dagou, Ashtoreth, &c. (Judges xi. 24 ; i Sam. v. 7 ; i
Kings xi. 5). See Robertson, Early Religion of Israel, p. 503. Similarly,
the plural Teraphim is used of a single image in i Sam. xix. 13.
32 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
Valuable, however, as the general conception of creation,
contained in Gen. i., is from a philosophical and religious
standpoint, the account given is not free from errors of detail.
That its statements are inconsistent with the scientific theory
of the earth's origin which is at present generally accepted
will be clear from a brief comparison. According to this
view (which is associated with the name of Laplace), the
solar system, of which the earth forms part, was evolved
in the course of ages from an intensely heated and lumi-
nous mass of gaseous matter, rotating on its own axis, and at
the same time gradually contracting. In the process of
contraction some of the outlying portions of this nebulous
vapour became detached, whilst retaining the rotary motion
of the original aggregate. These slowly cooled and con-
solidated, forming the planets and their satellites ; whilst
the central mass, still incandescent, concentrated and be-
came the sun. The earth, like the other planets, was thus
at first a fiery cloud ; subsequently, the denser parts of this
passed into a liquid condition ; whilst, still later, a solid crust
was developed on the surface, the whole being enveloped in
a humid atmosphere which poured torrents of water upon
the newly-formed earth. The deposition of sediment in the
primeval seas produced the layers of rock which He above
the lowest igneous formations ; life made its appearance ;
and in successive geological periods (so far as they can be
separated) molluscs and crustaceans, fishes, reptiles, mar-
supial mammals, birds, and finally the mammalia in general,
followed each other. At all the life-epochs vegetation
existed ; though it was comparatively late before the humbler
species, such as mosses and ferns, were replaced by more
complex varieties, trees appearing contemporaneously with
the larger reptiles and birds. From this it will be seen that
the general resemblance which (as already noticed) exists
between the account given in Gen. i. and the conclusions
THE MYTHS 33
of physical science, is accompanied by the following dis-
crepancies : —
(l.) Light is created on the first day, whereas the sun is
created on the fourth ; and though it is possible that light
existed before the nebulous matter, from which the solar
system has been evolved, underwent condensation, and
though it is certain that the earth has cooled faster than
the sun, yet it is improbable that the earth made such pro-
gress in its cooling as to support vegetation (created, accord-
ing to Genesis, on the third day) before the luminous matter
inside its orbit could be collected into a definite sun. It
may be noticed, also, that the interchange of day and night
is mentioned before the creation of the sun.
(2.) If the term day be taken figuratively to mean a con-
siderable period of time, and the animals created on succes-
sive days be compared with those which existed at successive
geological epochs, it will be found that aquatic animals and
birds are represented as created on the same day, whereas,
according to the record of the rocks, fishes, small reptiles,
insects, and marsupial mammals all appear before birds.
(3.) According to Genesis, vegetation is created on the
third day, preceding by tivo days the appearance of animals
on the earth, whilst the evidence of geology shows that
throughout they existed together ; though, at the same time,
it may be argued that some kinds of plants must have pre-
ceded the earliest animals, as being necessary for their
subsistence, and that the geological evidence is incomplete.
But the principal obstacle in the way of reconciling Gen. i.
with the conclusions of physical science is not so much
the difficulties connected with particular statements, insur-
mountable as these seem to be, as the general character of
its language, which, when interpreted naturally, gives a sense
remote from that which it is attempted to extract from it.i
^ Cf. Driver, The Cosmogony of Genesis (in the Expositor for January 1886).
C
34 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
II. The Story of Paradise and the Fall.
The narrative of Paradise and the Fall is derived entirely
from JE. Its position between those of the Creation and
the Flood, both of which have counterparts in the stories
recorded on the Babylonian monuments, would, by itself,
suggest that it belongs to the same group of legends ; and
considerable confirmatory evidence has been adduced by
Assyriologists. The name Eden was, by the Hebrew writers
who used it, naturally associated with a word in their own
language signifying delight ; ^ but there seems reason to sup-
pose that it is really identical with a word occurring on the
inscriptions which means field or plain. Names of rivers
corresponding to three (the Hiddekel, Gihon, and Euphrates)
out of the four described as "going out of Eden to water the
garden" (ii. lo), and a term which seems to answer to the
word translated onyx-stone in ii. 12, are also found on the
monuments. The cherubim which are placed as sentinels
to keep the way of the tree of life resemble in their function
the winged bulls and lions with human faces found among
the ruins of Nineveh, which guarded the gateways of the
city's palaces and temples (cf. note on iii. 24). Sacred trees
are likewise depicted ; and there has been found the repre-
sentation of a man and woman seated upon either side of
a fruit-tree, to which they are stretching out their hands,
whilst a serpent is coiling upwards behind the woman.^ In
addition to this, the fragment of a legend has recently been
deciphered, which runs as follows : ^ " The great gods, all of
them determiners of fate, they entered, and, death-like, the
god Sar filled. In sin one with the other in compact joins.
■* Cf. the LXX. of iii. 23 ; 6 Trapctoetcros rris Tpvipijs.
2 Figured in Davis, Genesis and Semitic Tradition.
^ Sayce, The Mir/her Criticism, p. 104.
THE MYTHS
35
The command was established in the garden of the god.
The fruit they ate, they broke in two, its stalk they de-
stroyed ; the sweet juice which injures the body. Great is
their sin. Themselves they exalted. To Merodach their
Redeemer he appointed their fate."
But the obscurity in which the meaning of the Biblical
narrative is involved is only partially removed by these com-
parisons. In particular, what has been discovered throws
little light upon the conception of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, and the tree of life, the idea symbolised by
the serpent, and the relation of the serpent to the Deity.
The surroundings of the Garden of Eden are, as maybe
inferred from what has been said, Babylonian, though the
mention of the fig-tree (which is not common in Babylonia ^)
indicates that the legend has been Hebraised ; and the
description is such that it is impossible to point out any site
corresponding to it. No actual state of things can be shown
to answer to the picture of the river, which, at its exit from
the garden, became divided into four branches, among which
the Euphrates and Tigris (Hiddekel) are included ; for these
certainly do not spring from the same source or separate ofi
from one parent stream. What streams are meant by the
Pishon and Gihon is not known ; some of the attemjDted
identifications are mentioned in the note on ii. lo, but none
of them can be regarded as free from difficulty.
Viewed as it stands, the conception of Paradise seems to
fall into line with the fables prevalent among other nations
of a Golden Age.^ In speculating upon the past history of
the human race, it was not unnatural for an ancient people
to think that man, as the creation of God, should have
enjoyed at first a measure of divine happiness; and the
^ Cf. Hdt. i. 193 : rot 7a/) 5r; 6XKa oivopea ov5e TreipdraL dpxvv <pipeiv oCre
■<TVKeT)v, ovre dfiireXop, oijre eXai-qv.
- See Hesiod, Works and Days, 108 foil.
36 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
account of the Fall appears to be an attempt at explaining
the transition from such an age of happiness to the hard
conditions of present experience.^ It is, however, the en-
trance into the world, not of death, but of pain and sorrow,
which the narrative, to all appearance, endeavours to account
for ; for that the man and woman, when in the garden,
are not regarded as altogether exempt from death, is clear
from iii. 22, where "living for ever" is represented as being
secured only by the eating of the tree of life ; nor is this
irreconcilable with ii. 17, where the threat of death plainly
means an end which is untimely and not in the course of
nature. The penalty which is conceived as inflicted upon
the guilty pair is the suffering without which neither the
fruit of the body nor the fruit of the soil can be obtained.
The sin which was punished by the cursing of the ground
and the expulsion from Eden is, it is clear, regarded as
something more than an act of simple disobedience to the
command of God : it is viewed as an act of rebellion and an
encroachment upon the jDrerogatives of Deity. According
to the representations of the tempter, the effect of eating
the forbidden fruit upon the man and woman is that they
will become as God [cf. iii. 22) ; and the pair, after eating,
are no longer on a level with the beasts, naked and not
ashamed.
That the tempter should be the serpent is not out of
keeping with the place animals in general, and the serpent
in particular, occupy in the mythology of other races.
Mysterious powers, alike for good and for evil, were asso-
ciated with it both in legend and symbolism among the
peoples of early times, a belief to which its peculiar shape
^ In Hesiod the transition is effected by stages of degeneration. The
Golden age is succeeded by the less perfect, but still ruoderately happy,
age of Silver ; and that, in turn, by the Brazen age, by the age of Heroes,
and lastly, by the Iron one of toil and privation and shortened days.
(Hesiod, Works and Days, 127-201.)
THE MYTHS 37
and habits may have, in the first place, given rise. In
Greece it was the emblem of -<3Esculapius, the god of healing ;
and a figure of it appears in a similar connection in the book
of Numbers (xxi. 8 foil.). In Genesis, however, the serpent
appears as a malevolent creature, antagonistic and hostile to
the Deity. Parallels to such a conception are found among
the ancient Persians, who associated the serpent with Ahri-
man, the principle of evil;-^ and are also said to exist among
the Hindoos. The express identification of it with the
Spirit of evil does not appear in the Bible until the Apocry-
phal book of Wisdom (ii. 24), from which it is repeated in
Eev. xii. 9, xx. 2 {cf, also Rom. xvi. 20).
The divergence between the account of primitive man
given in chap. ii. foil, and the established positions of science,
together with the resemblance that so many parts of these
chapters bear to the myths of other nations, make it im-
possible to treat their contents as trustworthy history. The
evidence of geology, philology, and archaeology points to
the conclusion that man has existed upon the earth for a
period which (it seems probable) must be reckoned by tens
of thousands of years, and has slowly emerged from a state
of utter savagery. The age of iron implements has been
preceded by one of copper and bronze, and that, in turn, by
one of flint and stone ; whilst, prior to the last, man may
have been, in his habits, but little removed from the wild
animals by which he was surrounded. Quite apart from
speculations as to his still earlier history, it seems clear
that man's primitive condition was not one of harmony and
happiness, but of fierce conflict against opposing forces.
That the several races, in spite of the many differences
between them, have been developed from one stock is a
theory which the general similarity between them renders
probable ; but there is nothing to show that they have all
1 Delitzsch, Ncxo Commentary on Genesis, i. p. 151.
38 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
descended from a single pair. The belief, however, that all
men are the offspring of Adam and Eve, that by the trans-
gression of the latter, sin, with death as its consequence,
entered the world, and that from the initial corruption of
human nature in them there has been transmitted to the
succeeding generations a proneness to evil which may or
may not result in actual sin in the case of individual men,
colours the theological teaching of St. Paul, and is worked
by him into his doctrine of the Atonement (see Kom. v.).
Consequently, if such a belief is inadequately supported,
the Apostle's presentment of the truth in question requires
in some respects to be modified. Instead of the definite
act of disobedience ascribed to Adam and his wife, the
first violation, on the part of primitive man, of his incipient
sense of right must be regarded as the source of whatever
of moral evil may be considered as inherited. By such a
substitution, the parallelism drawn between the heritage of
evil entailed by the earliest members of the human race
upon their posterity, and the divine grace infused by
Christ into all who will receive it through the appointed
channels, is not destroyed, though the symmetry of the
comparison between the one " through whose disobedience
the many were made sinners " and the One " throKgh whose
obedience the many shall be made righteous" (Eom. v. 19)
is somewhat marred. The reality of sin, the consequent
estrangement between God and man, the necessity of
redemption, and the method of its accomplishment, are
subjects which are not affected by modern views respect-
ing the historical trustworthiness of what is recorded in
Genesis. That record, if not true to history, nevertheless
embodies ideas which are true to moral experience. Though
there is much in the world that makes for evil, though
man is surrounded by influences which appeal strongly to
his lower nature, and sometimes render temptation over-
THE MYTHS 39
whelming, yet sin, after all, is not a matter of necessity.
The story of the Fall insists upon the truth of human
responsibility. It offers, further, a true explanation of, at
least, a large part of physical evil. Much of it, as there
depicted, is traceable to sin, either directly or indirectly.
The moral, mental, and physical sides of man's nature are
so closely intertwined together, that defect in one pro-
duces defect in the others ; and the consequences are per-
petuated by inheritance.
The words in which it is foretold that enmity is to exist
between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman
seem to express primarily the antipathy with which the
serpent is, for the most part, regarded by the human race.
The expressions used — "it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel" — are specially fitted to describe the
methods of attack pursued by the two foes. But since the
serpent is something more than a mere serpent, since it is
the instigator of disobedience to the commands of God, the
words of the text seem to indicate a prolonged struggle
between the tempter and the tempted, and to hint at a
hardly-won triumph of the latter. Thus there comes, at
the close of the history of sin, a gleam of hope. The
world it contemplates and endeavours to explain is not
looked upon as utterly forlorn and miserable. Divine
mercy, in dealing justice to the offenders, still holds out
a prospect of eventual mastery. If, indeed, the words
alluded to stood alone, the construction thus put upon them
might seem questionable. But in reality they are not
isolated words; they enter into, and form part of, a series
in which anticipation of a distant triumph over the powers
of evil grows clearer and more confident. The narrative
in Genesis, as the creation of an early and simple age,
does, no doubt, present a view of things in many resjjects
out of date ; but the subsequent history of the Jewish
40 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
race invests it with an interest which otherwise perhaps
would not attach to it ; and, in the light of events, it is
not unnatural to identify the seed of the woman with Christ,
the Son of Mary.
The narrative at the end of Genesis ii. which describes
how, at the first, only a single pair of human beings was
created, and which asserts emphatically the closeness of
the bond existing between husband and wife, has largely
influenced the views taken of marriage in subsequent times.
With the recognition of the true value of the early chapters
of Genesis as evidence for the circumstances under which
mankind first appeared upon the earth, the worth of this
account as a record of actual events falls to the ground. In
the rude and wild state in which primitive man must have
lived, polygamy rather than monogamy probably prevailed ;
and the existence of it among the ancestors of the Hebrews
themselves finds a place in the patriarchal history (Gen.
XXV. 6, xxix. 23, 28) as well as in the narrative of Lamech
(iv. 19). The true basis, however, upon which the practice
of monogamy and the maintenance of the marriaga tie as
indissoluble (except for the most urgent reason) repose, is
independent of early historic usage. It consists mainly in
(l) the equality of the rights which, as persons, husband and
wife have over each other in the contract into which they
enter ; (2) the practical evils which attend lax relations
between the sexes. In view of these considerations, the
conception of marriage presented in Gen. ii., if abstracted
from the historical narrative in which it is embodied, appears
the true one, namely, that it is an abiding union until death
between one man and one woman ; and the view thus ex-
pressed has for Christians been ratified by the authority of
Christ (Matt. xix. 4-6 = Mark x. 6-8).
THE MYTHS
III. The Flood Story.
Of the Flood two accounts are preserved in the Bible by
JE and P respectively. The two narratives are at one in
representing it as a punishment for sin (vi. 5-7, 13), in the
command given to Noah to preserve, by means of an ark,
himself, his house, and a few of every kind of living creature,
and in the total destruction of the rest, both of man and
beast. But they difEer in (i) the number of animals pre-
served, JE making it, in the case of the clean animals, seven
pairs, and, in the case of the unclean, one pair ; whilst P,
ignoring the distinction of clean and unclean, speaks only of
"two of every sort ;" (2) the duration of the Flood, which
according to JE lasted sixty-one days, but according to P a
year and ten days. A minor variation is observable in the
fact that JE attributes the catastrophe solely to a downfall
of rain, whilst P mentions "the breaking up of the fountains
of the great deep," as well as " the opening of the windows
of heaven."
An account of a Flood, in miany respects parallel to the
Biblical record, occurs in the Cuneiform inscriptions. The
chief actor in it is called Hasisadra, and he is represented as
telling the story of his wondrous deliverance to the hero
Izdubar. The following is an abstract of his narrative : ^ —
In the city of Surippak, on the Euphrates, the gods Ann,
Bel, and others assembled, and (seemingly at the instigation
of Bel) resolved to bring about a flood ; and their determina-
tion was communicated to Hasisadra by one of them. The
god bade him build a ship of certain dimensions, and take
refuge in it, together with his family and slaves. What was
necessary for subsistence was to be stored within the ship,
whilst cattle and wild beasts of the earth were likewise to be
^ Sayce, I. c. p. 107.
42
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
gathered into it to preserve the seed of life. Hasisadra
built the ship as commanded, making divisions inside it, and
pitching it within and without ; and then entering in with
all his possessions, including his silver and gold, he closed the
door, and intrusted the vessel to the helmsman. Then the
.storm-god Eimmon thundered ; his violence reached the
heaven, and the light was turned to darkness. All life
perished : men knew not one another ; brother no longer
looked ujoon brother ; and the gods in heaven were fright-
ened and wept. The flood lasted six days and nights, and
Hasisadra watched the corpses floating upon it like the
trunks of trees ; but on the seventh it began to subside,
until after another seven days the ship rested on the moun-
tains of Nizir. On the seventh day Hasisadra sent forth,
first, a dove, which, finding no resting-place, returned ; next,
a swallow, which likewise returned ; and, lastly, a raven,
which went to and fro, devouring the dead bodies, and did
not return. Then Hasisadra sent forth the animals in all
directions, and offered a sacrifice on an altar built on the
peak of the mountain. The gods inhaled the savour, and
gathered to it like flies. Thereupon the great goddess
(Istar), at his approach, lighted up the rainbow which Ann
had created. Bel, still retaining his anger, cried, "'Let none
come forth alive ; " but was appeased by the other gods, who
urged that the sinner, and not the righteous, should suffer
the penalty of his sin, and men should be diminished by
wild beasts or by famine, and not by a flood. Bel then
came to the ark and blessed Hasisadra, and he and his
family were removed to a distant spot at the mouth of the
rivers to dwell as gods.
When the above is compared with the accounts of JE
and P, it will be seen to agree, in matters of detail and
graphic touches, with the former rather than the latter.
Among the points of contact with JE are (i) the purpose
THE MYTHS 43
of the ark's building — viz., " to keep seed alive " (vii. 3) ;
(2) the closing of the door of the ark (vii. 16); (3) the
sending forth of the birds (viii. 6- 1 2); (4) the offering of
the sacrifice (viii. 20). The agreement with P (as distinct
from JE) is limited to the description of the building of the
ark (vi. 14-16). There are, however, several discrepancies
between the Chalda3an account and that of Genesis. (i)
The duration of the Flood is not in accord with either JE or
P, and is limited to fourteen days. (2) The vessel used to
preserve life is so far a ship (and not an ark) that it is in
charge of a steersman. (3) The slaves, as well as the family,
are preserved. (4) Three birds are sent forth, and no long-
intervals separate their despatch. (5) The landing-place of
the vessel is not " the mountains of Ararat " (which over-
looked the plain of the Araxes), but Nizir, which lay beyond
the Tigris. (6) The religious colouring of the story is
different. The Cuneiform account is steeped in polytheism ;
and the conception of the Flood as a punishment for sin
appears only at the close, whereas in the story of the Bible
the utmost prominence is given to it.
The Biblical and Chaldsean Flood stories, if considered by
themselves, might with some probability be regarded as
having been suggested by the occurrence of one of the
inundations to which the locality to which they belong — the
Euphrates valley — is exposed. Both the Euphrates and the
Tigris frequently overflow their banks in consequence of
the melting of the snow in the highlands of Armenia and
Kurdistan, and the effects of the flood are liable to be
greatly intensified by the coincidence of a hurricane from
the Persian Gulf. The event of a local inundation of a
more than usually destructive character might easily give
rise to a tradition of the total submergence of the world (in
the sense which that word bore to a primitive people) ; and
this might be regarded as an adequate account of the matter,
44 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
if it were not for the existence of deluge stories in other
places, notably in Greece and Phrygia, China, India, North
America, and some of the Pacific islands. ^ They agree
generally in representing the world as destroyed by water,
and mankind as propagated afresh from a few individuals
saved from destruction, either by escaping to a mountain
or island which remained uncovered, or by taking refuge in
a boat or raft ; and the close resemblance between this and
the Biblical account, extending in some instances to the
number of persons saved, and the prominence given to a
dove,^ has led to its being questioned whether they are not
all independent traditions of some world-wide catastrophe.
The occurrence, however, of a universal deluge since the
time when the large terrestrial animals, and such marine
creatures as can only live in shallow waters, came into
existence, seems precluded by the evidence of geology ; and
the true relation between the Flood stories of different
nations to one another awaits, as it seems, a complete
explanation.
The swift and overwhelming ruin which the Flood is
represented as having brought upon a guilty people was
adduced by our Lord to illustrate the suddenness of "the
coming of the Son of Man " (Matt. xxiv. 37 = Luke' xvii. 26).
The parallelism drawn between the two events loses nothing
of its effectiveness if the flood was in reality a catastrophe
far less extensive than it was popularly imagined to be ;
for the point of the comparison lies in the unexpectedness,
and not in the universality, of the destruction involved.
There can, however, be little doubt that by the Jews who
heard Him Christ must have been understood to think of
the Flood in the same way as themselves; and it seems
^ Egypt seems to be a noteworthy exception.
- See Kawlinson, Historical Illustrations of the Old 2'cstament, p.
18 foil.
THE MYTHS 45
quite possible that our Lord, as man, really shared the
popular belief. Ignorance of the truth in regard to such
matters may have been part of the humiliation and self-
emptying which was inseparable from the Incarnation. As
it has been phrased, He may have condescended not to
know.i
^ Quoted from Dr. Gregory Smith in Sanday's Oracles of God, p. iii.
CHAPTER III
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY
Of the several sources from which Genesis is compiled,
reasons have been shown for believing that P did not arrive
at its present condition until after the time of the Exile
(B.C. 586) ; whilst the compound document JE, though much
earlier than this, contains indications of having been written
after the establishment of the monarchy (pp. 23-24). The
last event to which allusion is made in Genesis is the death
of Joseph, and consequently the date of the earliest docu-
ment of which it is composed must be separated from the
history which it professes to chronicle by an interval long
enough to allow of the growth of the Israelitish settlement
in Egypt into a body able to effect its escape from the
bondage to which it had been reduced, as well as to cover
the conquest and occupation of Canaan and the period of
the Judges. If the tenth century be the earliest in which
JE can be assumed to have been written, and the" date of
the Exodus be placed in the fourteenth century B.C. under
Menephthes, some six centuries must be reckoned to have
elapsed between the occurrence of what is related in the
last chapter of Genesis and the dra-wing up of the record,
even- if the sojourn in Egypt be estimated at the 215 years
implied by the LXX. of Exod. xii. 40, and not the 430 of
the Hebrew text. In what degree an account which is so
far from being contemporary may be relied upon must be
decided by the probability or otherwise of its writers having
possessed and used earlier materials of trustworthy char-
acter. That authorities existed for the later part of the
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 47
narrative (Exodus-Joshua) is clear from the express re-
ference made to writings drawn up by Moses (Exod. xvii.
14, xxiv. 4, 7 ; Num. xxxiii. 2 ; Deut, xxxi. 9), to the
"Book of the Wars of Jehovah" (Num. xxi. 14), and to
the "Book of Jashar" (Josh. x. 13). In connection with
what is related in Genesis no citation of authorities occurs,
so that with regard to the sources from which the bulk of
the book is derived no direct testimony is available. The
trustworthiness of the history it contains has, consequently,
to be estimated from the evidence which exists for the early
use of writing, and from a review of the character of the
record itself.
Proof of the practice of writing at a very early period is
forthcoming from various quarters. That it was in use in
Egypt before the time of Moses is shown by the existence
of hieroglyphics of a date prior to the Exodus; and a
number of clay tablets recently found at Tel-el-Amarna,
upon which are inscribed, in Cuneiform characters, letters
from Babylonian kings to Egyptian governors in Syria and
Palestine, testify to a considerable literary culture in the
East during the fifteenth century B.C. Further, an Assyrian
inscription has been discovered which contains names, one
of which, Eriaku of Larsa, has been identified with the
Arioch of Ellasar mentioned in chap, xiv., whilst another,
Kudurmabug, has its analogue in the Chedorlaomer (Kudur-
lagamar) that finds a place in the same chapter. , feiaku
was a Babylonian prince, who was overthrown by a king
Khammurabi, who, according to native chronologists, reigned
from B.C. 2356 to 2301. Kudurmabug was an Elamite, who
made himself master of Babylonia, and extended his con-
quests to the Mediterranean. It seems likely, therefore,
that the substance of the chapter was actually taken from
some early written source, belonging to a time when Baby-
lonian kings held sway over Palestine, its antiquity being
48 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
evidenced by the numerous glosses wliich it was found
necessary to insert in it.^ Certain other passages relating
to Babylonia also reflect a condition of things remote from
that which existed at the time of the Israelitish monarchy.
Thus, whereas in xi. 28 Ur is described as belonging to
the Chaldees (Hebrew Chasdim, a name for the Babylonians
common in the age of the prophets ; see Jer. xxi. 4, xxv.
12), in x. 8 Nimrod, "the beginning of whose kingdom
was Babel," is represented as the son of Cush ; which
implies that he belonged to the Kassi, who held sway
over Babylonia from 1806- 12 30 B.C.^ (c/. also ii. 13), The
antiquity which thus appertains to the description of
Nimrod probably attaches also to the narrative respecting
the building of Babel in xi. 1-9, and the account of Eden
in chap. ii. The conclusion that some of the materials of
the Biblical history have thus been derived from Cunei-
form sources finds a curious confirmation in the fact
that an explanation is thus obtained of the way in which
the people, who in Gen. xiv. 5 are associated with the
Rephaim and called Zuzim, having their dwellings in Ham,
are, in Deut. ii. 20, termed Zamzummim and placed in
the territory of Ammon. Certain Cuneiform characters
severally admit of two values ; and if the statements in
Genesis and Deuteronomy are taken from a Cuneiform
original, a slight error in transliteration would account for
the difference in the names both of the peoples and the
places.^ The existence of written memorials in Canaan at
the time of the Israelite conquest seems to be implied in
the appellation Kiriath Sepher, "city of books," the earlier
name of Debir (Judges i. 11). In Arabia inscriptions have
been found belonging to the Mineeans and Sabteans, the
latter of whom have been traced back to the eighth century,
1 Sayce, I. c. p. 164 foil. - Ibid., p. 148.
^ Ibid., p. 160.
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 49
whilst the former were probably earlier; and it has been
conjectured that the list of Edomite kings (in chap, ssxvi.)
may have been derived from a parallel source.^ On the
other hand, none of the inscriptions that have been dis-
covered contain any allusion to the people of the Hebrews
or to the events recorded in Genesis. All, therefore, that
can be regarded as established is that there is no intrinsic
improbability in the belief that for the events of the
patriarchal age written authorities existed. It remains to
consider how far the narrative itself presents throughout
the aspect of authentic history.
The most striking feature observable in Genesis is that
it purports to be the history of a family, not of a nation ;
whereas it is only when a family has developed into a
nation that historical records come into existence. The
habit of drawing up narratives of past and present occur-
rences grows with the increasing greatness of the com-
munity ; but the commencement of it implies the previous
attainment of a certain degree of importance, such as a
single household could lay no claim to. In ancient times,
states and kings might have their scribes and recorders
to relate their doings ; but family life, such as that of the
patriarchs is, for the most part, represented as being, would
scarcely find contemporary chroniclers. Of the insignifi-
cant beginnings from which tribes and nations have sprung
we usually find nothing but uncertain reminiscences, handed
down originally by word of mouth, and only receiving a
fixed and definite form when the developed community is
sufficiently conscious of its greatness to demand a history
of itself. Consequently, such a precise account of the
origin of the Israelites as that preserved in Genesis is
likely, by reason of its very precision, to be the product
of a later age than that to which it relates.
^ Sayce, I. c. p. 46.
50 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
In the next place, the prevailing genealogical cast of the
history is suspicious. The identification of the chief peoples
of the ancient world with the descendants of the sons of Noah
which is made in chap, x., and which has been recognised
as parallel to the practice observable in Greek and other
legends of referring various races to eponymous heroes, is
suggestive of the principle which has been followed in draw-
ing up the narrative that succeeds. The same idea — that
every nation is descended from an individual ancestor —
dominates the history of the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Midian-
ites,^ Moabites, and Ammonites. This gives an artificial
character to the narrative, which prevents it from being
accepted as wholly trustworthy. Nations result usually
from the aggregation of smaller bodies, and the gradual
blending together of different stocks, rather than from the
natural increase of one individual household ; and though,
in parts of the relation, the patriarchs are credited with a
retinue of servants and bondsmen large enough to form the
nucleus of a tribe, yet these heterogeneous elements do not
come under the historian's consideration when tracing the
development of the people of Israel from the family of
Jacob. Another indication of unnaturalness is to be found
in the repetition of the number twelve in connection with
the families of the patriarchs, Nahor (xxii. 20-24), Ishmael
(xxv. 13 foil.), and Jacob (xxxv. 22) all having twelve sons.
Such traces of a systematic arrangement in the genealogical
tables throws doubt upon the details which are intermingled
with them ; and render it probable that, whatever may be
the historic traditions which have been embodied in the
narrative, they have been to some extent manipulated and
made symmetrical. As has been already observed, genea-
^ It is noteworthy that whilst Medan and Midian are represented as
sons of Abraham (xxv. 2), Midianities (or Medanites) appear as a tribe
engaged in traffic in the time of his grandson Jacob (xxxvii. 28, 36).
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 51
logical particulars come principally from P, though they are
not wholly absent from JE.
A further difficulty is furnished by the chronology. In
xvii. 17 Sarah is represented as being ninety years of age,
yet in xx. 2 she is sought in marriage by Abimelech, the
king of Gerar. According to xxv. 26, Isaac was sixty when
Jacob and Esau were born, and according to xxvi. 34 must
have been a hundred when Esau married, Jacob, according
to the natural sense of xxvii. 46, being sent to Paddan Aram
immediately afterwards lest he should follow his brother's
■example. But this was subsequent to the deathbed scene
described in chap, xxvii., when Isaac, according to xxxv. 28,
was not a hundred, but a hundred and eighty. Again, Jacob
was a hundred and thirty (xlvii. 9) when presented to Pharaoh,
at which time Joseph, as appears from a comparison of xli. 46
with xlv. 6, was thirty-nine, so that Jacob at Joseph's birth
(xxx. 24) must have been ninety-one, an age which it is
difficult to bring into agreement with the time at which he is
elsewhere described as having gone to Paddan Aram. Many
of these difficulties are due to the fact that the conflicting dates
are derived from different documents ; but the discrepancies
show that in details the record as it stands cannot be trusted.
There are, moreover, features in the patriarchal narratives
which suggest that before being committed to writing they
passed through the stage of oral tradition, in which fluc-
tuating versions of one original occurrence used to prevail.
There is a strong resemblance, though accompanied, it is true,
by considerable divergence, between certain incidents which
are related both of Abraham, at different times of his life,
and also of his son Isaac. Thus Abraham is twice repre-
sented as fearing lest his wife's beauty should expose him to
danger, and employing the same artifice to protect himself
{xii. 10-20 and xx. 1-18), and a similar experience is
attributed to Isaac (xxvi. 7-1 1). A persecution of Hagar
52 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
by Sarah is described in xvi. 4-14, and is followed by
another in xxi. 8-2 1 . The covenant made between Abraham
and Abimelech in xxi. 22-34 is effected between Isaac and
Abimelech in xxvi. 26-33.^ No doubt real history often
repeats itself; but, in the light of what has been said, it
seems not improbable that these incidents are severally
duplicate renderings of a single tradition.
But whilst this view of the origin and character of the
ultimate sources of early Israelitish history prevents us from
considering the narratives of Genesis, as a whole, to be a
faithful picture of events, it is obvious that all the occur-
rences in it are not on the same level of credibility. Whilst
some, to win acceptance, ought to be attested by written
contemporary evidence, others are of such a sort that the
memory of them might be securely handed down by oral
transmission. A poem like the Blessing of Jacob (c. xlix.)
could easily be circulated thus, and the allusions in it wit-
ness to the currency of numerous stories respecting the
personages it mentions.^ The references to the patriarchs in
the early Prophets and the books of Kings (see Micah vii.
20; Isa. xxix. 22; I Kings xviii. 36; cf. 2 Kings xiii, 23
and Jer. xxxiii. 26) are sufficient to show that to the national
consciousness Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were conspicuous
figures in the past history of Israel, and their names familiar
to the peojole at large ; and though it has been acknowledged
that the personification of nations and tribes, noticeable in
the first eleven chapters, does not cease with c. xii., yet the
difference is appreciable between the narratives which begin
in the later chapter and those in the earlier part of the book.
^ The inscription of Ps. xxxiv., compared with i Sam. xxi. 10-15, ren-
ders it possible that Abimelech was a title common to Philistine kings
in general ; but the mention of Phicol in both narratives (xxi. 32, xxvi. 26)
makes the view taken in the text the more probable.
2 The value of songs as a medium for transmitting the memory of
important facts is recognised in Deut. xxxi. 21. Songs and metrical com-
positions are quoted in Num. xxi. 14, 17, 27.
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 53
The very fact that a long account is given of the three suc-
cessive lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and not of Israel
only, from whom the name of the nation was derived, is a
serious obstacle in the way of our regarding the latter as
nothing but their eponymous ancestor. Nor with respect to
certain of the events recorded in connection with them is it
possible for any reasonable doubt to be entertained. The
original derivation of the Hebrews from Babylonia, which is
indicated in the narrative of Abraham's dejDarture from Ur,
is confirmed by their appellation (which means " people from
across " the river Euphrates), and by the character of the
Creation and Flood stories. The resemblance between these
last and the parallel accounts preserved in the Cuneiform
inscriptions has already been pointed out (pp. 29, 41), and
can only be accounted for by the supposition that the two
peoples at an early date were in contact with one another
either in Babylonia itself or in Canaan at a time when the
latter country was under Babylonian influence (as depicted
in Gen. xiv.). That they are post-exilic in origin can scarcely
be maintained, for not only is it a priori improbable that the
captive Jews should have appropriated the myths of their
captors in the time of the Exile, but such a view seems pre-
cluded by the occurrence of the legends in JE as well as P.^iv^ ^irLdw^axc
The circumstances of Joseph's promotion in Egypt,^ and the
kind reception accorded to his father and brethren, is quite
in keeping with the date to which, on chronological grounds,
^ Cf. Schrader, Cuneiform Inscriptions of the Old Testament, i. p. 54 ;
Watson, The Booh Genesis ; a True History, p. 65 foil.
2 In the books which relate to the times immediately succeeding the
Exodus there are allusions to customs observed in Egypt, e.g., the raising
of water by means of a machine worked by the feet (Deut. xi. 10), and the
use of oxen in treading out the corn (Deut. xxv. 4). The distinction
between clean and unclean animals, and the use of linen for priestly gar-
ments, have their parallels in Egyptian practice (Hdt. ii. 47, 37). That
Israel had once dwelt in Egypt was a fixed belief in later times. See
Amos ii. 10, ix. 7 ; Hosea xi. i.
54
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
the events in question have been assigned.^ Under the rule
of the Arabian Hyksos, the prejudice with which the strangers
must otherwise have been regarded would not have made
itself felt. Nor can the fact that the Egyptian monarch is
designated by his title alone be held sufficient to prove that
the information has not been taken from contemporary
sources, on the ground that in native chronicles the personal
name is always added; for a parallel is found in Isa. xix. ii.
The conclusion to which the foregoing considerations
point is that the patriarchal narrative is, in its broad
features, historical, but that from the lateness of the docu-
ments in which it is contained it may be suspected of
including an ideal element. The consciousness which the
Jews had in later times of their separateness from other
nations, and of being the chosen people of God, would
naturally lead them to trace their election as far back as
possible; and at an age when the methods of historical
inquiry were very ill understood, the ideas which animated
them could scarcely fail to colour their conceptions of the
past. There would then be a tendency to place the patri-
archs in isolation, and to marshal genealogical details so as
to exhibit the purity of their descent, and to present their
history as that of a family rather than of a tribe.^ It is,
at any rate, noteworthy that in chap, xiv., which seems to
have more claims than most of the rest to be regarded as
based on written memorials, Abraham is represented as
having at his command a body of armed men, and being in
a position to engage and rout a confederacy of victorious
kings. But though there is reason for thinking that the
history of Israel's ancestors has been touched by fancy, there
^ The names Jacob-el and Josepk-d, as appellations of cities, have been
found in an inscription belonging to the fifteenth century B.C.
2 An incidental indication of a condition of things differing from the
prevailing representation is to be found in the expression the land of the
Hebrews (xl. 15 ; cf. xiv. 13).
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 55
seem to be no good grounds for charging the writers with
wholesale invention. If the records of the patriarchal age
were altogether the outcome of a tendency on the part of an
ancient people to fill in the blank which their past pre-
sented by the creation of fictitious ancestors, it is strange
that actions should be attributed to them which in their
descendants would have received severe reprobation,^ To
the true Israelite of later days the conduct of the patriarchs
in many instances could scarcely have been considered ideal.
The action twice ascribed to Abraham, in regard to Pharaoh
(xii. 13) and to Abimelech (xx. 2), does not redound greatly
to his honour (cf. Isa. xliii. 27), even though the common
experience in the East of lawlessness on the part of rulers
may have served to make his fears not unreasonable.
Again, the covetousness and duplicity displayed by Jacob
are scarcely traits which would find a place in stories of
recent origin ; and his marriage with two sisters at once is
in flagrant contradiction to the Levitical law (Lev. xviii. 18).
Judah, one of the ancestors of the twelve tribes, is repre-
sented as sinning with the Canaanitess Tamar (xxxviii. 15),
and owning that, of the two, his was the greater blame
(ver. 26). Simeon and Levi are guilty of a combination of
craft and cruelty which their father himself condemned
(xxxiv. ; cf. xlix. 5-6) ; whilst Reuben commits incest with his
father's concubine (xxxv. 22', cf. xlix. 4). Of such accounts
national vanity can hardly be considered the originator.
Nor, again, has it been successfully shown that many of the
stories merely reflect the circumstances of later history, and
were inspired by the feelings and sentiments which animated
the Israelites at the time of the monarchy. Thus the inces-
tuous origin attributed to Moab and Ammon (xix. 30 foil.)
has been referred to the bitterness felt in historic times
towards those nations, such as marks Deut. xxiii. 3-4 ; but
^ Cf. Watson, The Booh Genesis, c. vii. and viii.
56 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
it has been pointed out in reply that in Deut. ii. 9 and 19 their
descent from Lot gives them a claim to consideration. The
" blessing " of Esau (xxvii. 30-40) has been regarded as the
creation of one who knew of the conquest of Edom by David
(2 Sam. viii. 14), the rising against Solomon (i Kings
xi. 14), and the more successful revolt against Joram
(2 Kings viii. 20) ; but the generous conduct displayed by
Esau towards Jacob (xxxiii.) scarcely resembles what national
hatred would attribute to the founder of a hostile people.
There is even less to be said for the view that the trans-
actions represented as taking place between Jacob and Laban
(xxix.-xxxi.) — their early friendship, their quarrel, and their
subsequent reconciliation — were suggested by the frontier
wars between Judah and Syria in the time of David (2 Sam.
X. 6-19), and the league made between Asa and Ben-hadad
(i Kings XV. 18 foil.). The distribution of Jacob's twelve
sons between his wives and their handmaids does not answer
at all closely either to the geographical or the political
arrangement of the tribes in Canaan, for the territory of
Issachar and Zebulun, the two younger sons of Leah, was not
contiguous to that of the elder sons, Eeuben, Simeon, and
Judah; whilst Benjamin, the youngest son of Rachel, was,
on the disruption of the kingdom, associated, not with the
tribes that descended from Joseph, but with Judah. It is,
moreover, noteworthy that none of the stories related of the
patriarchs are brought into connection with Jerusalem (after
the time of David, the royal city) with the exception of the
narrative in chap, xiv.^ In short, however little credit the
particular stories in question may be thought to deserve, the
impression produced is that they were not at any rate of
very recent origin. The retention of so many awkward facts,
and the manifest freedom from undue bias in favour of their
own countrymen, seem sufficient to acquit the historians of
^ Watson, I. c. p. 165 foil.
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 57
wilful and serious dishonesty. In tlie absence of adequate
means for accurately reproducing the past, they may indeed
have given vividness and life to their accounts by drawing
in some measure upon their own experiences or their own
fancies. More especially in connection with the speeches it
seems likely that much that is recorded represents their
notions of what was probable under the circumstances. In
this they did no more than was common among the historians
of other nations ; ^ and it has been observed that in the case of
Hebrew the idiom of the language favours the use of direct
rather than indirect speech.^ But though the complete trust-
worthiness of the materials employed is open to question,
and though the writers in drawing up their history may
have been animated in certain directions by preconceived
ideas, yet that the narrative produced is mainly fiction seems
highly improbable.
Something remains to be said about the religious aspect
and interest of the patriarchal histories.
The central conviction of the religious beliefs of the
Hebrews in historic times was that the Deity whom they
worshipped as Jehovah was identical with the Creator of the
universe and the Dispenser of the destinies of nations (Amos
V. 8, ix. 2-4, vi. 14, ix. 7; Isa. x. 12-15). Between God
and themselves there existed exceptional relations, so that
though His power and influence extended to the whole
world, yet to them He specially revealed His will, and made
their interests His peculiar care (Amos iii. 2 ; cf. Hosea
xiii. 4). Of the history of such relations the patriarchal
^ Cf. Thuc. i. 22, § I : koX 8aa fih Xdytf eZiroi' eKacrroi . . . x^^^^'o" '''V"
dKpi^€iav avT7)v tCjv \exOivTwv Siaixv-qfiovevaaL 9jv ifioi re u>v aiiros iJKOvffa Kal
ro'is &\\o6fv TTodev i/j.ol dwayyiWovaiv. us S'clp iSoKovp ifJ.ol eKaaroi vepl ruv del
irapbvTwv to. oiovra /xaXiffTa dirdv, exo/xeV<^ on eyyvrara rrjs ^vfj.vdaT;s yvwfjLT]S
tQv dXrjdws \e-xdivTU)v, oCrws etpi)TaL.
^ Robertson, Early Religion of Israel, p. 422-423.
58 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
narratives in Genesis form part. The patriarchs are repre-
sented as being under the special protection and tutelage
of the deity, as holding frequent converse with Him, and
as receiving from Him promises of a peculiarly exalted
character (see xii. 1-3, xvii. 1-8, xxvi. 2-5, xxviii. 12-15).
But little is said explicitly and in detail about the nature
of these rehgious beliefs, and nothing about the process
whereby a knowledge of the true God was reached. At
some earlier period, indeed, it is stated that the ancestors
of the Israelites were idolaters. When they lived on the
east of the Euphrates "they served other gods" than
Jehovah (Josh. xxiv. 2). But polytheism was abandoned
before Abraham migrated from Ur. It is possible that this
migration from Chaldea was itself the outcome of a religious
movement, and that Abraham was the leader of a section
of his countrymen who had broken with their ancestral
religion. In the apocryphal book of Judith (v. 5 foil.), at
any rate, the removal of Abraham and his people to Meso-
potamia is attributed to their refusal to follow the gods
of their fathers, and their consequent expulsion from the
country. Jewish legends endeavour to explain how the
patriarch gradually arrived at purer views of God than
those about him,^ but nothing of this is found in Genesis.
The theological ideas which the book contains have to be
extracted from the narrative of events. They are not made
the subject of argument, but are implicit in the history.
As depicted in Genesis, the religion of the patriarchs
exhibits a strange blending of elevated and crude ideas.
On the one hand, Abraham speaks of Jehovah as "the
God of heaven and the God of the earth " (xxiv. 3), and
appeals to " the Judge of all the earth " to do right (xviii.
25). He identifies Jehovah with "the Possessor of heaven
and earth," worshipped by Melchizedek under the title of
^ See Deane, Life and Times of A hraham.
I
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 59
El Elyon (siy. 18-22). No idol-worship is mentioned in
Genesis, the only images named being the Teraphira belonging
to Laban (xxxi. 19, 30), which are presumably "the strange
gods " referred to in sxxv. 2. On the other hand, Abrahatn's
offering of Isaac resembles the action of the king of Moab
described in 2 Kings iii. 27, and the practice of making
children pass through the fire to Molech (Lev, xviii. 21);
and whilst it witnesses to the fervour of devotion which
could be enlisted in the service of Jehovah, it also indicates
that there was, as yet, no deep sense of incongruity between
the idea of such a sacrifice and the God to whom it was
offered. It is in keeping, too, with primitive notions that
the consent of Isaac to the disposal of his life does not
come under consideration. In early times, a man's wife
and children were nearly on a level with his other posses-
sions, enjoying few or no independent rights ; and Abraham,
in offering his son to God, offered what was held to be
altogether his own. These inconsistencies look rather un-
historic ; and, in view of the date and character of the
record, it is perhaps questionable whether, at the age which
Genesis purports to depict, the ancestors of the Hebrew
race had really reached the higher and purer conceptions
indicated above. As has been already seen, the evidence
available is open to the suspicion of being coloured, to some
extent, by the imagination of a subsequent age. Moreover,
an inference unfavourable to the belief that a very advanced
stage of religious thought was attained in the patriarchal
times may be drawn from the beliefs and usages which
prevailed at a later date. In the period of the Judges,
Jephthah appears to have regarded Jehovah and the Moabite
god Chemosh as co-ordinate powers (Judges xi. 24) ; and even
in the time of David, Jehovah seems to have been popularly
associated with the territory of Israel only, outside of which
worship was due to other deities (i Sam. xxvi. 19). A
6o THE BOOK OF GENESIS
proneness to image-worship never ceased to show itself
throughout Jewish history up to the return from the Exile
and was not confined merely to the imported cults of other
gods, but appeared even in connection with Jehovah (Exod.
xxxii. 4 ; i Kings xii. 28). A tendency which, in spite of all
the efforts of reformers, exhibited such continued strength
and vitality, must have had (it seems fair to conclude) a
long past behind it. No doubt the institutions and customs
of the surrounding nations impelled many of the Israelites
towards superstition even when there were teachers among
them of a nobler faith. But what has been said falls into
line with the conclusions which, on more general grounds,
appear probable, and gives reason for considering that the
spiritual idea of God, which is so clearly apprehended and
so vigorously asserted by the prophets, was evolved more
slowly and matured at a later date than might from the
book of Genesis be supposed.
But though the religion of the patriarchal period was
probably of a somewhat ruder nature than is implied in
the narrative which describes it, it was, nevertheless, the
seed-bed of all that followed. That in the time of Moses
both the exclusive claims of Jehovah, and the moral require-
ments of His service were recognised, is apparent from the
Ten Commandments {cf. also Exod. xxxiii. 16, JE). And
that Moses was not the first to introduce the worship of
Jehovah, but professed to come in the name of their father's
God, is both stated in Exod. iii. 13, and probable in itself
There must have been in the existing belief and practice
of the nation in his time a germ of pure religion which
admitted of being cultivated and developed by the legis-
lation he introduced. And it is not at all unlikely that
the religious sense of the people had suffered during their
bondage in Egypt {cf. Josh. xxiv. 14), and that the belief
of their ancestors respecting the nature of God, and His
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 6i
dealings with those who faithfully served Him, had been
more elevated than their own. And if it was the faith of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob which formed the basis upon
which Moses worked, it was the same faith which his
successors believed themselves to be defending. It was as
the mouthpiece of the God " who redeemed Abraham " that
Isaiah spoke (sxix. 22). It was "the mercy promised to
Abraham " which Micah was confident that God would
perform (vii. 20). There is descent and derivation in the
field of ideas as well as in that of physical life ; and it can
scarcely be doubted that Abraham, however simple in some
respects his religious notions may have been, was neverthe-
less the spiritual father of all the great Hebrew prophets.
Two questions suggest themselves in connection with the
foregoing : —
1. Was the belief entertained by Israel about its special
relation to God well grounded ?
2. In what sense are the communications stated to have
taken place between God and man to be understood ?
I. It is obvious that the fact of the Israelites holding such
a belief is not of itself sufiicient justification ; for many of
the surrounding peoples, it is clear, claimed to have relations
with some particular deity or deities similar to those which
existed between Israel and Jehovah. The Moabites, for
instance, paid adoration to Chemosh, the Amorites to
Molech or Milcom, the Zidonians to Ashtoreth (i Kings
xi. 5, 7 ; Judges si. 23-24). Nor was such a belief peculiar
to Semitic peoples. In Asia Minor, in Greece, in Italy,
and elsewhere, different states and cities imagined them-
selves to be the peculiar care of certain gods. Viewed thus
from the outside, the Israelites are seen to share this
particular conviction with several other nations of the
ancient world. Nor, indeed, does a complete cleavage
between one nation and another as objects of divine
62 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
favour or disfavour seem consonant with God's relation to
humanity as a whole. If, nevertheless, a distinction can be
drawn between the belief of the Hebrews and the similar
notions of other races, it must be based on the ethical
character of their religious ideas, and the place they have
occupied in the intellectual and spiritual progress of the
world. And regarded thus, the Jews will be found to have
influenced mankind as no race beside them has done. In
the region of faith and morals they have shown that pre-
eminence which, in art and science and philosophy, has
been displayed by others.
This superiority will appear when a comparison is made
between the religious views of the Hebrews and those of
their neighbours. The conception which was entertained
by the kindred peoples of Moab and Ammon of their gods
was very different from that which the Jewish prophets
had of Israel's God. There was not the same sense of
unapproachable supremacy attaching to such deities as
entered into the prophets' idea of Jehovah. To the mascu-
line Baal there corresponded a feminine Ashtoreth, so that
the prevailing religion was at least ditheistic, if not poly-
theistic. Images and idolatrous emblems were erected in
consecrated spots, particularly on the tops of hills and
under the shade of forest trees. And these sensuous notions
were accompanied by sensual and savage forms of worship.
The rites of Ashtoreth were licentious and impure, and in
honour of her women bound themselves by vows to surrender
their chastity (cf. Hosea iv. 14 ; Deut. xxiii. 17). To Molech
human sacrifices were sometimes made {cf. Lev. xviii. 21,
XX. 2), and it was probably to that deity that the king of
Moab, when pressed by his enemies, offered up his first-
born son (2 Kings iii. 26-27). Cuttings and mutilations,
again, are named as features of the worship of Baal in i
Kings xviii. 28. On the other hand, the prophets repre-
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 63
sented the nature of Jehovah as spiritual (Isa. xxxi, 3),
and material representations of Him were to be abhorred.
His character was righteous, merciful, and holy (Amos iv.
2; Hos. ii. 19; Isa. vi. 3), and as such He enjoined the
duties of justice, compassion, and purity upon His people
(Amos V. 14, 15 ; Hosea xii. 6; Micah vi. 8). The holding
of festivals and the offering of sacrifice, if accompanied by
moral wrong-doing, was an abomination that could not be
tolerated (Hosea vi. 6; Isa. i. 11-17). Thus the contrast
between the religion of Israel, as interpreted by the pro-
phets in the time of the monarchy, and that of their neigh-
bours was a most conspicuous one, the former being as
elevated and pure as the latter was rude and coarse (c/.
Deut. iv, 8). And even by the side of the intellectual
races of Greece and Italy, the pre-eminence of the Jews in
the sphere of religion is still marked. The exceptional
endowment alike of certain individuals and certain peoples
is a fact too obvious to be disputed. A survey of history
shows that a few nations stand out above the rest as
pioneers of progress, and Athens and Rome have confessedly
been the foremost in enlarging the world's knowledge of
nature and in developing art and literature. Nor can any
distinction, it may be granted, be drawn between the origin
of the special aptitudes involved {cf. Gen. xli. 38 ; Exod.
xxxi. 3, 6; James i. 17). But neither of the two nations
mentioned, in spite of these great gifts, moulded the
world's religious thought as did the Jews. The modern
world uses no literature as it does the Hebrew Scri^Dtures.
This striking superiority, in virtue of which these writings
are still the vehicle of moral and religious instruction among
the most civilised peoples, is, on any theory of the universe
in which Divine providence finds a place, sufficient justifica-
tion for holding that the Jews have been special instru-
ments in the hands of God for enlightening and purifying
64 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
mankind ; and so far as religion and conduct are of more
vital concern than intellectual and artistic culture, the
Jewish nation, as judged by their most representative
men, may be regarded as filling a unique place in history,
and discharging a unique function in God's scheme of
purposes.
Finally, a peculiar eminence is given to the Jewish race
and the Jewish religion by the position in regard to them
occupied by our Lord. Christ was, after the flesh, a Jew ;
those whom He chose to declare His name and His work
to the world were Jews likewise ; it was to the Jewish
Scriptures that He appealed for witness to His claims.
Upon the national religion of Israel was built the uni-
versal religion which He proclaimed, and it was upon the
Jewish law that He fitted His more perfect teaching.
Though His allusions to the historical books are few (to
Genesis only in Matt. x. 15 ( = Luke x, 12), xi. 23 ( = Luke
xvii. 28-32), xxii. 32 ( = Mark xii. 26 = Luke xx. 37), John
viii. 56), yet the general tenor of His utterances implies
that Jewish history stood in a peculiar relation to His own
advent. To those, therefore, who accept the doctrine of
the Incarnation, the testimony of Christ to the Jewish
patriarchs and prophets is a conclusive confirmation of the
belief that the Jews were, in a pre-eminent degree, the
elect people of God.
2, With regard to the way in which Biblical expressions
relating to the intercourse between God and man are to
be understood, the sense to be given to the passages in
Genesis will be covered by the interpretation put upon
similar statements in more recent books. The earliest first-
hand evidence bearing upon the subject is found in the
declarations of the prophets of the eighth century. The
most impressive feature in their writings is the constant
ascription of their utterances to God Himself, the usual
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 65
preface to their addresses being "Thus saith Jehovah."^
But that similar language was used by the surrounding
nations of their national gods is clear from the evidence of
the Moabite Stone, where King Mesha declares : " Chemosh
said to me, ' Go, take Nebo ' . . . and I took it. And the
king of Israel fortified Jahaz . . . and Chemosh drove him
out before me." In some instances the announcements
stated to have been made to the prophets are accompanied
by dreams, visions, and angelic appearances (Amos vii. 7 ;
Isa. vi.). That there was a certain subjective element in
some of their visions seems evident from the fact that the
imagery, in many instances, shows traces of the actual cir-
cumstances and surroundings of those who witnessed them.^
That the communications which they professed to receive
were likewise to some extent an externalising of their own
inward sense of the truth and importance of what they
believed may reasonably be suspected. But whatever was
the process whereby the prophets became possessed of the
convictions to which they gave expression, the convictions
themselves may justly be held to be of divine origin, if
such an origin can be claimed for anything. The best
warrant for the prophets' language about their teaching
is the character of that teaching. Their persuasion that
the Spirit of Jehovah inspired them, and that they were
commissioned by God to declare His will, can, in the light
of moral and historic facts, scarcely be considered erroneous.
Their words bear witness to them, and justify the authori-
tative tone in which they spoke.
In Genesis, as in the later and better attested records.
1 Other expressions conveying the same belief that what they said was
not their own are found in Jer. xv.' 16 ; Num. xxlii. 5 ; Zech. vii. 12 ; Isa.
viii. II.
^ E.rj., Amos, who was "a herdsman and dresser of sycamore trees"
(see viii. 1,2,; and cf. ii. 13, iii. 4) ; and Ezekiel, who was one of the
captives in Babylonia (see chap. i. ; and cf. note on Gen. iii. 24).
E
66 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
mention is made of dreams and angels as being among the
means whereby divine communications were conveyed to
the patriarchs and others.^ In one instance a mysterious
flame accompanied the intercourse between God and man
(xv. 17). But in many cases nothing is stated except
the fact of such converse, and its tenor. On some occasions
the communication related to some temporary emergency
(xviii. 23 foil., XX. 3 foil.) or imparted some special direc-
tion (xxxv. i). But in the majority of instances, what
the divine word conveyed was the assurance of an extensive
posterity, of its happy destiny, and of its ultimate occupa-
tion of the land of Canaan. The historical evidence for
the details of the patriarchal age being what it is, it seems
scarcely necessary to discuss the precise facts that under-
lie the description of the writers. But in general, if, in
harmony with what has already been suggested, external
communications, for the most part, be explained as internal
convictions, the divine promises related to have been given
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will represent the patriarchs'
faith in the God whose true nature they apprehended better
than their contemporaries. But such fuller knowledge
would, of itself, carry their thoughts beyond themselves.
They would be dimly sensible that God, in the long-run,
cannot be arbitrary ; that privilege carries with it a mission,
and that they and their race, in some unforeseen way, would
be a blessing to the world at large. In this sense it is
possible to understand our Lord's words, "Abraham rejoiced
to see My day ; he saw it and was glad " (John viii. 56).
Some of the circumstances recorded in connection with the
divine promises made to the patriarchs {e.g., the substitution
of a ram when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son to
his God), may really have marked a critical moment in
^ See XV. I, xxvi. 24, xvi. 7 (c/. ver. 13), xxii. 11, &c. In chap. xxv. 22
it seems to be implied that Rebekah consulted an oracle.
THE PATRIARCHAL HISTORY 67
religious and spiritual development. And even if in such
matters complete reliance upon the narrative seems scarcely-
possible, this qualification does not materially detract from
the instructiveness of the history. If the patriarchs were
real personages, and if their faith was, in the main, what
it is represented as being, the truth of particular incidents
is comparatively unimportant.
What is regarded as constituting the inspiration of
Genesis and the other historical books of the Bible will
have been gathered from the observations already made,
and little need be added here. The historians of Israel
adopted, it is plain, the methods of writing history current
in their country and time. They used, as has been seen,
such materials as lay at their disposal, and were doubtless
liable to misinterpret their meaning or misjudge their value.
And just as they followed the literary usages, so they shared
many of the views of their countrymen. Their knowledge,
as estimated by the standard of modern times, was defective,
and their ideas, in many ways, crude and imperfect. Hence
it is, for instance, that myths relating to the early history
of mankind find a place in their writings. The grosser
features in such primitive fancies disappeared, as has been
shown, in the purer atmosphere of Hebrew thought, but
the fancies themselves lingered, as offering some account
of an age of which no records survived. Again, in their
reconstruction of the patriarchal age, they seem to have
exercised their historical imagination beyond the limits
which modern writers would consider legitimate. What,
in spite of such shortcomings, gives to the Biblical writings
a claim to be called inspired is the exceptional standpoint
from which they regard the events they record, and the
peculiar insight they display into their significance. The
view of the past taken by the writers is dominated by their
68 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
religious belief; and in the fortunes of their race they trace
the guidance of God's hand and the fulfilment of His will.
Their interpretation of human history in general and Jewish
history in particular must be judged in the light of the
subsequent issues, and the truth that is seen to underlie
their construction of the facts will be the measure of their
inspiration.
I
TEXT
I
I
TEXT
Sections placed side by side are duplicate accounts of the same subject.
The words in leaded type are characteristic of P, with the exception of
God, which is common to both P and E.
The words in italics are characteristic of JE together, with the exception
of Jehovah, which is peculiar to J.
1 In the beginning God created
2 the heaven and the earth. And
the earth was without form, and
void ; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep. And the
spirit of God brooded upon the
3 face of the waters. And God
said, Let there be light : and
4 there was light. And God saw
the light, that it was good ; and
God divided the light from the
5 darkness. And God called the
light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And there was
evening and there was morning,
6 one day. And God said, Let
there be a firmament in the
midst of the waters, and let it
divide the waters from the
7 waters. And God made the
firmament, and divided the
waters which were under the
firmament from the waters
which were above the firma-
8 ment : and it was so. And God
called the firmament Heaven.
And there was evening and
there was morning, a second day.
2 46 In the day that Jehovah
God made earth and heaven,
5 no flant of the field was yet in
the earth, and no herb of the field
had yet grown : for Jehovah God
had not caused it to rain upon
the earth, and there was not
6 a man to till the ground. But
there used to go up a mist from
the earth, and watered the whole
7 face of the fj7-ound. And Jehovah
God formed man of the dust of
the rjround, and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living
8 creature. And Jehovah God
planted a garden eastward in
Eden ; and there he put the
9 man whom he had formed. And
out of the ground made Jehovah
God to grow every tree that is
pleasant to the sight, and good
for eating ; the tree of life also
in the midst of the garden,
and the tree of knowledge of
10 good and evil. And a river went
out of Eden to water the garden ;
and from thence it was parted,
1. 1-ii. 4a and ii. 46-25 contain two accounts of the Creation, which
differ in (i.) style and phraseology, (ii.) contents, (iii.) the names of the
Creator, the first using God {Elohim), the second Jehovah God [Jehovah
Elohim). The former may be assigned to P, the latter to J. The combina-
tion Jehovah God is perhaps due to the compiler, to show the equivalence
of the two names.
71
72
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
9 And God said, Let the waters
under the heaven be gathered
together unto one place, and let
the dry land appear : and it was
10 so. And God called the dry
land Earth ; and the gathering
together of the waters called he
Seas : and God saw that it was
11 good. And God said, Let the
earth put forth vegetation, herb
yielding seed, and fruit tree
yielding fruit after its kind,
whose seed is in it, upon the
12 earth : and it was so. And the
earth brought forth vegetation,
herb yielding seed after its
kind, and tree yielding fruit,
whose seed is in it, after its
kind : and God saw that it was
13 good. And there was evening
and there was morning, a third
14 day. And God said, Let there
be lights in the firmament of the
heaven to divide the day from
the night ; and let them be for
signs, and for seasons, and for
15 days, and years. And let them
be for lights in the firmament
of the heaven to give light upon
16 the earth : and it was so. And
God made the two great lights ;
(the greater light to rule the
day, and the lesser light to rule
17 the night), and stars also. And
God set them in the firmament
of the heaven to give light upon
18 the earth, and to rule over the
day and over the night, and to
divide the light from the dark-
ness : and God saw that it was
19 good. And there was evening
and there was morning, a fourth
20 day. And God said. Let the
waters swarm with swarms of
living creatures, and let fowl
fiy above the earth in the open
21 firmament of heaven. And God
created the great monsters,
and every living creature that
11 and became four heads. The
name of the first is Pishon:
that is it which compasseth the
whole land of Havilah, where
12 there is gold ; and the gold of
that land is good : there is
bdellium and the onyx stone.
13 And the name of the second
river is Gihon : the same is it
that compasseth the whole land
14 of Cush. And the name of the
third river is Hiddekel : that
is it which goeth toward the
east of Assyria. And the fourth
15 river is Euphrates. And Jehovah
God took the man, and put him
into the garden of Eden to
16 dress it and to keep it. And
Jehovah God commanded the
man, saying, Of every tree of
the garden thou mayst freely
17 eat : but of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for
in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die.
18 And Jehovah God said, It is not
good that the man should be
alone ; I will make him a help
19 meet for him. And out of the
ground Jehovah God formed every
beast of the field, and iivery fowl
of the air ; and brought them
unto the man to see what he
would call them : and what-
soever the man called the living
creature, that was the name
20 thereof. And the man gave
names to all cattle, and to the
fowl of the air, and to every J)cast
of the field ; but for Adam there
was not found a help meet for
21 him. And Jehovah God caused
a deep sleep to fall upon the man,
and he slept : and he took one of
his ribs, and closed up the flesh
22 instead thereof ; and of the rib,
which Jehovah God had taken
from the man, he constructed
TEXT
73
creepeth, wherewith the waters
swarmed, after their kinds, and
every winged fowl after its
kind : and God saw that it was
22 good. And God blessed them,
saying, Be fruitful, and multi-
ply, and fill the waters in the
seas, and let fowl multiply in
23 the earth. And there was even-
ing and there was morning, a
24 fifth day. And God said, Let
the earth bring forth the living
creature after its kind, cattle,
and creeping thing, and beast
of the earth after its kind : and
25 it was so. And God made the
beast of the earth after its
kind, and cattle after their
kind, and every creeping thing
of the ground after its kind:
and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said. Let us make
man in our image, after our
likeness : and let them have
dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over the cattle, and
over all the earth, and over
every creeping thing that
27 creepeth upon the earth. So
God created man in his own
image, in the image of God
created he him ; male and
28 female created he them. And
God blessed them, and God
said unto them. Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the
earth, and subdue it : and have
dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over every beast that
29 creepeth upon the earth. And
God said, Behold, I have given
you every herb bearing seed,
which is upon the face of all
the earth, and every tree, in the
which is the fruit of a tree
yielding seed ; to you it shall
30 be for food. And to every
a woman, and brought her unto
23 the man. And the man said,
This is now bone of my bones,
and flesh of my flesh : she shall
be called Woman, because she
24 was taken out of Man. There-
fore shall a man leave his father
and his mother, and shall cleave
unto his wife : and they shall
25 be one flesh. And they were
both naked, the man and his
wife, and were not ashamed.
74
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
beast of the earth, and to
every fowl of the air, and to
every thing that creepeth upon
the earth, which is a living
creature, I have given every
green herb for food : and it
31 was so. And God saw every-
thing that he had made, and,
behold, it was very good. And
there was evening and there was
morning, the sixth day.
2 Thus the heavens and the
earth were finished, and all the
2 host of them. And on the
seventh day God ended his work
which he had made ; and he
rested on the seventh day from
all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh
day, and sanctified it : because
in it he rested from all his
work which God created and
4 made. These are the genera-
tions of the heavens and of the
earth when they were created.
3 Now the serpent was more
subtle than any hcast of the field
which Jehovah God had made.
And he said unto the woman,
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not
eat of any tree of the garden ?
2 And the woman said unto the
serpent, We may eat of the fruit
3 of the trees of the garden : but
of the fruit of the tree which is
in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye
4 die. And the serpent said unto
the woman, Ye shall not surely
5 die: for God doth know that
in the day ye eat thereof, then
your eyes shall be opened, and
iii. 1-2-1 is marked by the phraseology of ii. \a--2f), and by the use of
Jehovah God ; and therefore belongs to J. The occurrence of God alone in
vers. 1, 3, 5 (in the converse between Eve and the Serpent) scarcely warrants
the assumption that a second document has been employed.
TEXT 75
ye shall be as God, knowing
6 good and evil. And when the
woman saw that the tree was
good for eating, and that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and
did eat, and gave also unto her
husband with her ; and he did
7 eat. And the eyes of them both
were opened, and they knew that
they were naked ; audthey sewed
fig leaves together, and made
8 themselves aprons. And they
heard the sound of Jehovah God
walking in the garden in the cool
of the day : and the man and
his wife hid themselves from the
presence of Jehovah God amongst
9 the trees of the garden. And
Jehovah God called unto the man,
and said unto him, Where art
10 thou 1 And he said, I heard the
sound of thee in the garden, and
I was afraid, because I was naked ;
11 and I hid myself. And he said,
Who told thee that thou wast
naked 1 Hast thou eaten of the
tree, whereof I commanded thee
that thou shouldest not eat 1
12 And the man said, The woman
whom thou gavest to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I
13 did eat. And Jehovah God said
unto the woman. What is this
that thou hast done ? And the
woman said, The serpent be-
14 guiled me, and I did eat. And
Jehovah God said unto the ser-
pent. Because thou hast done
this, thou art cursed among all
cattle, and among every beast of
the field; upon thy belly shalt
thou go, and dust shalt thou eat
15 all the days of thy life : and I
will put enmity between thee
and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed ; it shall bruise
thy bead, and thou shalt bruise
76 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
P J
16 hisheel. Unto the woman lie said,
I will greatly multiply thy pain
and thy conception ; in sorrow
thou shalt bring forth children ;
and thy desire shall be to thy
husband, and he shall rule over
17 thee. And unto Adam he said,
Because thou hast hearkened
unto the voice of thy wife, and
hast eaten of the tree, of which
I commanded thee, saying, Thou
shalt not eat of it : cursed is the
ground for thy sake ; in pain
shalt thou eat of it all the days
18 of thy life ; thorns also and
thistles shall it bring forth to
thee ; and thou shalt eat the herh
19 of the field ; in the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread, till
thou return unto the ground;
for out of it wast thou taken :
for dust thou art, and unto dust
20 shalt thou return. And the man
called his wife's name Eve ; be-
cause she was the mother of all
21 living. And for Adam and for his
wife did Jehovah God make gar-
ments of skins, and clothed them.
22 And Jehovah God said. Behold,
the man is become as one of us,
to know good and evil : and now,
lest he put forth his hand, and
take also of the tree of life, and
23 eat, and live for ever : there-
fore Jehovah God sent him forth
from the garden of Eden, to till
the ground from whence he was
24 taken. So he drove out the
man ; and he placed at the east
of the garden of Eden the
Cherubim, and a flaming sword
which turned about, to keep the
way of the tree of life.
5 This is the book of the gene- 4 And the man knew Eve his
rations of Adam. In the day wife ; and she conceived and bare
V. 1-28, 30-32, and iv. 1-26, 29 are shown to be parallel by the similarity
of the names, the latter section containing two genealogies (see note). The
TEXT
77
that God created man, in the
likeness of God made he him :
2 male and female created he
them ; and blessed them, and
called their name Adam, in the
day when they were created.
3 And Adam lived a hundred and
thirty years, and begat a son in
his own likeness, after his image ;
4 and called his name Seth : and
the days of Adam after he
begat Seth were eight hun-
dred years : and he begat sons
5 and daughters : and all the
days that Adam lived were nine
hundred and thirty years : and
6 he died. And Seth lived a
hundred and five years, and
7 begat Enosh : and Seth lived
after he begat Enosh eight hun-
dred and seven years, and begat
8 sons and daughters : and all the
days of Seth were nine hundred
and twelve years : and he died.
9 And Enosh lived ninety years,
10 and begat Kenan : and Enosh
lived after he begat Kenan eight
hundred and fifteen years, and
11 begat sons and daughters: and
all the days of Enosh were nine
hundred and five years : and he
12 died. And Kenan lived seventy
years, and begat Mahalalel:
13 and Kenan lived after he begat
Mahalalel eight hundred and
forty years, and begat sons and
14 daughters : and all the days of
Kenan were nine hundred and
15 ten years: and he died. And
Mahalalel lived sixty and five
1 6 years, and begat Jared : and
Mahalalel lived after he begat
Jared eight hundred and thirty
years, and begat sons and
17 daughters : and all the days of
Kain, and said, I have gotten a
man with the help of Jehovah,
2 And again she bare his brother
Abel. And Abel was a keeper
of sheep, but Kain was a tiller
3 of the ground. And in process
of time it came to pass, that
Kain brought of the fruit of the
fjround an offering unto Jehovah.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the
firstlings of his flock and of the
fat thereof. And Jehovah had
respect unto Abel and to his
5 offering : but unto Kain and to
his offering he had not respect.
And Kain was very angry, and
6 his countenance fell. And Je-
hovah said unto Kain, Why art
thou angry ? and why is thy
7 countenance fallen ? If thou
doest well, shall it not be lifted
up 'I and if thou doest not well,
sin coucheth at the door. And
unto thee shall be its desire, but
8 thou shouldst rule over it. And
Kain said to Abel his brother
. . . : and it came to pass, when
they were in the field, that Kain
rose up against Abel his brother,
9 and slew him. And Jehovah said
unto Kain, Where is Abel thy
brother ? And he said, I know
not : am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said. What hast thou
done ? Hark ! thy brother's
blood crieth unto me from the
11 ground. And now art thou cursed
away from the ground, which
hath opened its mouth to receive
thy brother's blood from thy
12 hand; when thou tillest the
ground, it shall not henceforth
yield unto thee its strength ; a
fugitive and a wanderer shaft
13 thou be in the earth. And Kain
two accounts are severally marked by the characteristic phraseology of P
and J, the name Jehovah appearing in the latter without the addition of
God. There is an exceptional occurrence of God in ver. 25.
78
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
Mahalalel were eight hundred
ninety and five years : and he
18 died. And Jared lived a hun-
dred sixty and two years, and
19 he begat Enoch : and Jared
lived after he begat Enoch eight
hundred years, and begat sons
20 and daughters : and all the
days of Jared were nine hundred
sixty and two years : and he
21 died. And Enoch lived sixty
and five years, and begat Methu-
22 selah : and Enoch walked with
God after he begat Methuselah
three hundred years, and begat
23 sons and daughters : and all
the days of Enoch were three
hundred sixty and five years :
24 and Enoch walked with God:
and he was not ; for God took
25 him. And Methuselah lived a
hundred eighty and seven years,
26 and begat Lamech : and Methu-
selah lived after he begat Lamech
seven hundred eighty and two
years, and begat sons and
27 daughters : and all the days of
Methuselah were nine hundred
sixty and nine years : and he
28 died. And Lamech lived a hun-
dred eighty and two years, and
begat a son.
said unto Jehovah, My punish-
ment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out
this day from the face of the
ground ; and from thy face shall
I be hid ; and I shall be a fugitive
and a wanderer in the earth ; and
it shall come to pass, that whoso-
ever findeth me shall slay me.
15 And Jehovah said unto him,
Therefore whosoever slayeth
Kain, vengeance shall be taken
on him sevenfold. And Jehovah
set a mark upon Kain, lest whoso
16 found him should kill him. And
Kain went out from the jDresence
of Jehovah, and dwelt in the land
of Nod, on the east of Eden.
17 And Kain knew his wife ; and
she conceived, and hare Enoch :
and he builded a city, and called
the name of the city, after the
18 name of his son, Enoch. And
unto Enoch was born Irad : and
Irad enrjendered Mehujael : and
Mehujael engendered Methushael:
and Methushael engendered La-
19 mech. And Lamech took unto
him two wives : the name of the
one was Adah, and the name
20 of the other Zillah._ And Adah
bare Jabal : he was the father of
such as dwell in tents, and have
21 cattle. And his brother's name
was Jubal : he was the father of
all such as handle the harp and
22 pipe. And Zillah, she also bare
Tubalkain, a forger of every
instrument in brass and iron :
and the sister of Tubalkain was
23 Naamah. And Lamech said unto
his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear
my voice ; ye wives of Lamech,
hearken unto my speech : for I
have slain a man for my wound,
and a j'Ouug man for my hurb.
24 If Kain shall be avenged seven-
fold, truly Lamech seventy and
25 sevenfold. And Adam knew his
TEXT
79
5 30 And Lamech lived after he
begat Noah five hundred ninety
and five j'ears, and begat sons
31 and daughters : and all the days
of Lamech were seven hundred
seventy and seven years : and he
32 died. And Noah was five hun-
dred years old : and Noah begat
Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
wife again ; and she bare a son,
and called his name Seth : for
God, said she, hath appointed me
another seed instead of Abel,
26 whom Kain slew. And to Seth,
to him also there was born a son ;
and he called his name Enosh :
then began men to call upon the
name of Jehovah.
5 29 And he called his name
Noah, saying, This same shall
comfort us concerning our work
and the pain of our hands,
because of the ground which
Jehovah hath cursed.
6 And it came to pass, when
men began to multiply on the
face of the ground, and daughters
2 were born unto them, that
the sons of God saw the
daughters of men that they
were fair ; and they took them
vi.-ix. contain two accounts of the Deluge story, as appears from (i.) in-
consistencies of detail (especially in connection with the number of animals
to be taken into the Ark, and the duration of the Flood) ; (ii.) differences
of expression. The points of resemblance between the two accounts and
the preceding narratives of P and J are indicated in the text or in the
notes below ; but the characteristics of the one have, in places, entered
into the other, probably in the process of editing. Thus created, creeping
things, male and female, are elsewhere peculiar to P ; but they also occur
In J in vi. 7 (repeated in vii. 8 23), and vii. 3 (repeated in vii. 9)
respectively. In vii. 7-9, which is a duplicate of vii. 13-16, not only is
part of the phraseology that of P (including the use of God in place of
Jehovah), but the statement respecting the clean and unclean animals is
inconsistent with what is said by J in vii. 2, In vii. 22, P's phrase the
spirit of life (vi. 17, vii. 15) is united with the expression breath of life used
by J in ii. 7.
8o
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
wives of all that they chose.
3 And Jehovah said, My spirit
shall not always rule in man,
because he also is flesh : so his
days shall be a hundred and
4 twenty years. The Nephilim
were in the earth in those
days ; and also afterwards when
the sons of God came in unto
the daughters of men, and they
bare children to them, the same
were the mighty men which
were of old, the men of renown.
6 9 These are the generations of
Noah: Noah was a righteous man
and perfect in his generation,
and Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begat three sons,
11 Sbem, Ham, and Japheth. And
the earth was corrupt before
God, and the earth was filled
12 with violence. And God saw
the earth, and, behold, it
was corrupt ; for all flesh had
corrupted its way upon the
13 earth. And God said unto
Noah, The end of all flesh is
come before me ; for the earth
is filled with violence through
them ; and, behold, I will
destroy them with the earth.
14 Make thee an ark of gopher
wood ; rooms shalt thou make
in the ark, and shalt pitch it
within and without with pitch.
15 And this is how thou shalt
make it. The length of the
ark shall be three hundred
cubits, the breadth of it fifty
cubits, and the height of it
16 thirty cubits. A light shalt
thou make to the ark, and to
the measure of a cubit shalt
thou finish it above ; and the
door of the ark shalt thou set
in the side thereof ; with lower,
second, and third stories shalt
17 thou make it. And, behold, I,
And Jehovah saw that the
wickedness of man was great
in the earth, and that every
imar/ination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil con-
tinually. And it repented
Jehovah that he had made man
on the earth, and it pained
him at his heart. And Jehovah
said, I will blot out man whom
I have created from the face
of the ground; both man and
cattle and creeping thing, and
the fowls of the air ; for it
repenteth me that I have made
them. But Noah found grace
in the eyes of Jehovah.
TEXT
8i
even I, do bring a flood of
waters upon the earth, to
destroy all flesh, wherein is
the spirit of life, from under
heaven ; and every thing that
is in the earth shall expire.
18 But with thee will I establish
my covenant ; and thou shalt
come into the ark, thou, and
thy sons, and thy wife, and
19 thy sons' wives with thee. And
of every living thing of all
flesh, two of every sort shalt
thou bring into the ark, to
keep them alive with thee ;
they shall be male and female.
20 Of fowls after their kind, and
of cattle after their kind, of
every creeping thing of the
ground after its kind, two of
every sort shall come unto thee,
21 to keep them alive. And take
thou unto thee of all meat
that is eaten, and thou shalt
gather it to thee ; and it shall
be for food, for thee, and for
22 them. Thus did Noah ; accord-
ing to all that God commanded
him, so did he.
7 And Jehovah said unto Noah,
Come thou and all thy house in-
to the ark ; for thee have I seen
righteous before me in this gene-
2 ration. Of all clean cattle thou
shalt take to thee by sevens,
each with its mate : and of beasts
that are not clean by two, each
3 with its mate. Of the fowl of
the air also by sevens, male
and female ; to keep seed alive
upon the face of all the earth.
4 For yet seven days, and I will
cause it to rain upon the earth
forty days and forty nights ;
and every existing thing that I
have made will I blot out from
5 off the face of the ground. And
Noah did according unto all that
Jehovah commanded him.
7 6 And Noah was six hundred
years old when the flood of
waters was upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of
Noah's life, in the second month,
the seventeenth day of the
month, the same day were all
the fountains of the great deep
broken up, and the windows of
heaven were opened.
13 In the selfsame day entered
Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and
Japheth, the sons of Noah, and
Noah's wife, and the three wives
of his sons with them, into the
14 ark ; they, and every beast
after its kind, and all the cattle
after their kind, and every creep-
ing thing that creepeth upon
7 And Noah went in, and his sons,
and his wife, and his sons' wives
with him, into the ark, because
8 of the waters of the flood. Of
clean cattle and of cattle that
are not clean, and of fowls,
and of every creeping thing of
9 the ground, there went in two
and two unto Noah into the ark,
F
82
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
the earth after its kind, and
every fowl after its kind, every
15 bird of every sort. And they
went in unto Noah into the ark,
two and two of all flesh, wherein
16 is the spirit of life. And they
that went in, went in male and
female of all flesh, as God had
commanded him.
18 And the waters prevailed, and
were increased greatly upon the
earth ; and the ark went upon
19 the face of the waters. And
the waters prevailed exceedingly
upon the earth; and all the
high mountains, that were under
the whole heaven, were covered.
20 Fifteen cubits upward did the
waters prevail ; and the moun-
21 tains were covered. And all
flesh expired that creepeth upon
the earth, both of fowl, and of
cattle, and of beast, and of every
swarming thing that swarmeth
upon the earth, and every man.
24 And the waters prevailed upon the
earth a hundred and fifty days.
male and female, as God had
10 commanded Noah. And it came
to pass after the seven days,
that the waters of the flood were
upon the earth.
12 And the rain was upon the earth
forty days and forty nights.
17 And Jehovah shut him in. And
the flood was forty days upon
the earth ; and the waters in-
creased, and bare up the ark,
and it was lifted up above the
earth.
22 All in whose nostrils was the
breath of the spirit of life, of all
that was in the dry land, died.
23 And he Uottcd out every existing
thing which was upon the face
of the ground, both man, and
cattle, and the creeping things,
and the fowl of the heaven ; and
they were blotted out from the
earth : and Noah only remained,
and they that were with him in
the ark.
8 And God remembered Noah,
and every beast, and all the
cattle that were with him in the
ark ; and God made a wind to pass
over the earth, and the waters
2 assuaged ; the fountains also
of the deep and the windows
36 of heaven were stopped. And
after the end of a hundred
and fifty days the waters de-
8 26 And the rain from heaven
3 was restrained ; and tlie waters
returned from off the earth con-
tinually.
viii. 1, 2<i, 36-5 are all marked by the characteristic language and
chronological precision of P.
viii. 26-3« is assigned to J, partly because it is a duplicate of viii. l-2a,
and partly owing to its correspondence in phraseology with vii. 12,
TEXT
83
4 creased. And the ark rested in
the seventh month, on the seven-
teenth day of the month, upon
5 the mountains of Ararat. And
the waters decreased continually
until the tenth month : in the
tenth month, on the first day of
the month, were the tops of the
mountains seen.
13 And it came to pass in the six
hundredth and first year, in the
first month, the first day of the
month, the waters were dried
14 up from off the earth : and in
the second month, on the seven
and twentieth day of the month,
6 And it came to pass at the end
of forty days, that Noah opened
the lattice of the ark which he
7 had made : and he sent forth
the raven, which went forth to
and fro, until the waters were
dried up from off the earth.
8 Also he sent forth the dove from
him, to see if the waters were
abated from off the face of the
9 ground; but the dove found no
rest for the sole of her foot, and
she returned unto him into the
ark, for the waters were on the
face of the whole earth : then
he put forth his hand, and took
her, and pulled her in unto him
10 into the ark. And he stayed
yet other seven days ; and again
he sent forth the dove out of the
11 ark; and the dove came in to
him in the evening ; and, lo, in
her mouth was an olive leaf
plucked off : so Noah knew that
the waters were abated from
12 off the earth. And he stayed
yet other seven days ; and sent
forth the dove ; which returned
not again unto him any more.
ISSAnd Noah removed the cover-
ing of the ark, and looked, and,
behold, the face of the ground
was dry.
viii. 13a, 14r-19 have the features of P.
viii. 6-12 is assigned to J, since viii. 6 is obviously connected with
vii. 17 ; and 136 naturally goes with vers. 6-12.
84
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
15 was the earth dried. And God
16 spake unto Noah, saying, Go
forth of the ark, thou, and thy
wife, and thy sons, and thy sons'
17 wives with thee. Bring forth
with thee every beast that is
with thee, of all flesh, both of
fowl, and of cattle, and of every
creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth ; that they may
swarm in the earth, and be fruit-
ful, and multiply upon the earth.
18 And Noah went forth, and his
sons, and his wife, and his sons'
19 wives with him : every beast,
every creeping thing, and every
fowl, and whatsoever creepeth
upon the earth, after their
families, went forth out of the ark.
20 And Noah builded an altar un-
to Jehovah; and took of every
clean beast, and of every clean
fowl, and offered burnt offerings
21 on the altar. And Jehovah
smelled a sweet savour ; and
Jehovah said in his heart, I will
not again curse the ground any
more for man's sake ; for the
imaghmtion of man's heart is
evil from his youth ; neither
will I again smite^ any more
every thing living, as I have
22 done. While the earth re-
maineth, seed-time and harvest,
and cold and heat, and summer
and winter, and day and night
shall not cease.
0 And God blessed Noah and
his sons, and said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and re-
2 plenish the earth. And the fear
of you and the dread of you shall
be upon every beast of the earth,
and upon every fowl of the air,
with all wherewith the ground
viii. 20-22 has the divine name characteristic of J, and, in addition, ver.
21 refers back to vi. 5.
ix. 1-17 is marked off as belonging to P by the usual expressions.
TEXT 85
P
creepeth, and all the fishes of
the sea ; into your hand are they
3 delivered. Every creeping thing
that liveth shall be for food for
you ; even as the green herb
4 have I given you all. But flesh
with the life thereof, even the
blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
5 And surely your blood of your
lives will I require ; at the hand of
every beast will I require it, and
at the hand of man ; at the hand
of every man's brother will I re-
6 quire the life of man. Whoso
sheddeth man's blood, by man
shall his blood be shed : for in
the image of God made he man.
7 And you, be ye fruitful, and
multiply; swarm in the earth,
8 and multiply therein. And God
spake unto Noah, and to his
9 sons with him, saying, And I,
behold, I establish my covenant
with you, and with your seed
10 after you ; and with every living
creature that is with you, of the
fowl, of the cattle, and of every
beast of the earth with you ;
whatsoever goeth out of the ark,
even every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my cove-
nant with you ; neither shall all
flesh be cut off any more by the
waters of a flood ; neither shall
there any more be a flood to
12 destroy the earth. And God
said. This is the sign of the
covenant which I make between
me and you and every living
creature that is with you, for
13 perpetual generations : I do set
my bow in the cloud, and it
shall be for a sign of a covenant
1 4 between me and the earth. And
it shall come to pass, when I
bring a cloud over the earth,
that the bow shall be seen in
15 the cloud : and I will remember
my covenant, which is between
86
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
me and you and every living
creature of all flesh; and the
waters shall no more become a
16 flood to destroy all flesh. And
the bow shall be in the cloud ;
and I will look upon it, that I
may remember the everlasting
covenant between God and every
living creature of all flesh that
17 is upon the earth. And God
said unto Noah, This is the sign
of the covenant which I have
established between me and all
flesh that is upon the earth.
9 18 And the sons of Noah, that
went forth of the ark, were
Shem, and Ham, and Japheth :
and Ham is the father of Canaan,
19 These were the three sons of
Noah : and of them was the
20 whole earth overspread. And
Noah, the husbandman, began
21 and planted a vineyard : and
he drank of the wine, and was
drunken ; and he was uncovered
22 within his tent. And Ham, the
father of Canaan, saw the naked-
ness of his father, and told his
23 two brethren without. And
Shem and Japheth took a gar-
ment, and laid it upon both
their shoulders, and went back-
ward, and covered the naked-
ness of their father; and their
faces were backward, and they
saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine,
and knew what his younger son
25 had done unto him. And he
said. Cursed be Canaan ; a ser-
vant of servants shall he be un-
26 to his brethren. And he said,
Blessed be Jehovah, the God of
ix. 18-27 resembles, in its tone, previous sections of J [e.g., those which
record the Fall,- and the murder of Abel). The characteristic Jehovah
occurs in ver. 26, but Ood in ver. 27 (c/. iii. 1, 3, 5). 186 is perhaps due to
the editor (c/. note ad loc).
TEXT
87
And Noah lived after the flood
three hundred and fifty years.
29 And all the days of Noah were
nine hundred and fifty years :
and he died.
Shem ; and let Canaan be his
27 servant. God enlarge Japheth,
and let him dwell in the tents
of Shem ; and let Canaan be his
servant.
10 Now these are the genera-
tions of the sons of Noah, Shem,
Ham, and Japheth : and unto
them were sons born after the
2 flood. The sons of Japheth ;
G-omer, and Magog, and Madai,
and Javan, and Tubal, and
3 Meshech, and Tiras. And the
sons of Gomer ; Ashkenaz, and
4 Riphath, and Togarmah. And
the sons of Javan ; Elishah, and
Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
5 By these were the isles of the
nations divided in their lands ;
every one after his tongue, after
their families, in their nations.
6 And the sons of Ham ; Cush,
and Mizraim, and Phut, and
7 Canaan. And the sons of Cush ;
Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah,
and Raamah, and Sabtecha :
and the sons of Raamah ; Sheba,
20 and Dedan. These are the sons
of Ham, after their families,
after their tongues, in their
lands, and in their nations.
10 8 ANDCushe?i^e?icfcre£/Nimrod:
he began to be a mighty one in
9 the earth. He was a mighty
hunter before Jehovah: where-
fore it is said. Even as Nimrod
a mighty hunter before Jehovah.
10 And the beginning of his king-
dom was Babel, and Erech, and
Accad, and Calneh, in the land of
11 Shinar. Out of that land he went
forth into Assyria, and builded
Nineveh, and Rehoboth-Ir, and
ix. 28, 29, X. 1-7, 20, 22-23, 31-32, xi. 10-27 go together, and are marked
by common features which connect them with P.
X. 8-19, 21, 2i-30 resemble in phraseology iv. 18 foil., and belong to J.
These sections appear to be part of an account of the descendants of Ham
and Shem, but begin abruptly. The mention of Cush and Mizraim in vers.
8, 13 presuppose a lost passage, the tenor of which corresponded to vers.
6, 7 (P).
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
22 The children of Shem ; Elam,
and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and
23 Lud, and Aram. And the chil-
dren of Aram ; Uz, and Hul,
31 and Gether, and Mash. These
are the sons of Shem, after their
families, after their tongues, in
their lands, after their nations.
32 These are the families of the
sons of Noah, after their genera-
tions, in their nations : and by
these were the nations divided
in the earth after the flood.
12 Calah, and Resen between Nine-
veh and Calah (the same is the
13 great city). And Mizraim eng-en-
dcrcd Ludim, and Anamim, and
14 Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, and
Pathrusim, and Casluhim (out
of whom came the Philistines),
15 and Caphtorim. And Canaan
engendered Sidon his first born,
16 and Heth, and the Jebusite,
and the Amorite, and the Gir-
17 gashite, and the Hivite, and
the Arkite, and the Sinite,
18 a d the Arvadite, and the
Zemarite, and the Hamathite :
and afterward were the families
of the Canaanite spread abroad,
19 And the border of the Canaan-
ite was from Sidon, as thou
rjoest toward Gerar, unto Gaza ;
as thou goest toward Sodom, and
Gomorrah, and Admah, and
21 Zeboiim, even unto Lasha, Unto
Shem also, the father of all
the children of Eber, the elder
brother of Japheth, even to him
were children born.
11 10 These are the generations
of Shem : Shem was a hundred
years old, and begat Ai-pachshad
11 two years after the flood : and
Shem lived after he begat Ar-
pachshad five hundred years,
and begat sons and daughters.
12 And Arpachshad lived five and
thirty years, and begat Shelah :
13 and Arpachshad lived after he
begat Shelah four hundred and
three years, and begat sons and
14 daughters. And Shelah lived
24 And Arpachshad engendered She-
lah ; and Shelah engendered Eber.
25 And unto Eber were born two
sons : the name of one was
Peleg ; for in his days was the
TEXT
thirty years, and begat Eber :
15 and Shelah lived after he begat
Eber four hundred and three
years, and begat sons and
16 daughters. And Eber lived four
and thirty years, and begat
17 Peleg: and Eber lived after
he begat Peleg four hundred
and thirty years, and begat
18 sons and daughters. And Peleg
lived thirty years, and begat
19 Reu : and Peleg lived after
he begat Reu two hundred and
nine years, and begat sons and
20 daughters. And Reu lived two
and thirty years, and begat
21 Serug : and Reu lived after
he begat Serug two hundred
and seven years, and begat
22 sons and daughters. And Se-
rug lived thirty years, and
23 begat Nahor': and Serug lived
after he begat Nahor two
hundred years, and begat sons
24 and daughters. And Nahor
lived nine and twenty years,
25 and begat Terah : and Nahor
lived after he begat Terah a
hundred and nineteen years,
and begat sons and daughters.
26 And Terah lived seventy years,
and begat Abram, Nahor, and
27 Haran. Now these are the
generations of Terah : Terah
begat Abram, Nahor, and
Haran ; and Haran begat Lot.
earth divided ; and his brother's
26 name was Joktan. And Joktan
engendered Almodad, and She-
leph, and Hazarmaveth, and
27 Jerah, and Hadoram, and Uzal,
28 and Diklah, and Obal, and
29 Abimael, and Sheba, and Op-
hir, and Havilah, and Jobab :
all these were the sons of
30 Joktan. And their dwelling
was from Mesha, as thou rjoest
unto Sephar, the mountain of
the east.
11 And the whole earth was of
one language, and of one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they
journeyed eastward, that they
found a plain in the land of
Shinar ; and they dwelt there.
3 And they said one to another,
xi. 1-9 is an isolated section resembling, in style and point of view, iii.
1-24 {cf. especially xi. 6 with iii. 22). Besides exhibiting the use of the
Divine name Jehovah, it contains a play upon the word Bahel similar to
those noticed in ii. 23, iii. 20, and v. 29.
90 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
Come, let us make brick, and
burn them thoroughly. And they
had brick for stone, and bitumen
4 had they for mortar. And they
said, Come, let us build us a city
and a tower, whose top may
reach unto heaven ; and let us
make us a name, lest we be scat-
tered abroad upon the face of the
5 whole earth. And Jehovah came
down to see the city and the
tower, which the children of men
6 builded. And Jehovah said. Be-
hold, the people is one, and they
have all one language ; and this
is the beginning of their doings :
and now nothing will be with-
holden from them, which they
7 purpose to do. Come, let us go
down, and there confound their
language, that they may not un-
derstand one another's language.
8 So Jehovah scattered them abroad
from thence upon the face of all
the earth : and they left off to
9 build the city. Therefore is the
name of it called Babel ; because
Jehovah did there confound the
language of all the earth : and
from thence did Jehovah scatter
them abroad upon the face of all
the earth.
28 And Haran died in the presence
of his father Terah in the land of
his nativity, in Ur of the Chal-
29 dees. And Abram and Nahor
took them wives : the name of
Abram's wife was Sarai ; and
the name of Nahor's wife, Mil-
cah, the daughter of Haran, the
father of Milcah, and the father
30 of Iscah. But Sarai was barren ;
she had no child.
xi. 28-30 may be assigned to J on the ground of its resemblance, by the
mention of the wives, to iv, 19, and by the reference to it in xxii. 20 and
xxiv, 15. But as it stands, it is a fragment, its connection with the
genealogy of x. 24-30 having been lost.
TEXT
31 And Terah took Abram his son,
and Lot the son of Haran his
son's son, and Sarai his daughter
in law, his son Abram's wife ;
and they went forth with them
from Ur of the Chaldees, to go
into the land of Canaan ; and
they came unto Haran, and
32 dwelt there. And the days of
Terah were two hundred and five
years : and Terah died in Haran.
12
ib Akd Abram was seventy and
five years old when he departed
out of Haran. And Abram took
Sarai his wife, and Lot his
brother's son, and all their sub-
stance that they had gathered,
and the persons that they had
gotten in Haran ; and they went
forth to go into the land of
Canaan; and into the land of
Canaan they came.
12 Now Jehovah said unto
Abram, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred,
and from thy father's house, unto
a land that I will show thee :
2 and I will make of thee a great
nation, and I will bless thee, and
make thy name great ; and be-
3 come thou a blessing : and I will
bless them that bless thee, and
curse him that curseth thee :
and by thee shall all families of
4 the soil bless themselves. So
Abram departed, as Jehovah had
spoken unto him ; and Lot went
with him.
6 And Abram passed through the
land unto the place of Shechem,
unto the terebinth of Moreh.
And the Canaanite was then in
xi. 31-32 is marked by the chronological detail and catalogue-like pre-
cision of other sections attributed to P,
xii. l-4a, 6-20 are characterised by the use of the name Jehovah through-
out ; whilst ver. 8 is a point of contact with iv. 26, &c.
xii. 4&-5 has all the style of P.
92 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
7 the land. And /cAora^ appeared
unto Abram, and said, Unto thy
seed will I give this land : and
there builded he an altar unto
Jehovah, who appeared unto him.
8 And he removed from thence
unto a mountain on the east of
Beth-el, and pitched his tent,
having Beth-el on the west, and
Ai on the east : and there he
builded an altar unto Jehovah,
and called upon the name of
9 Jehovah. And Abram journeyed,
going on still towards the South.
10 And there was a famine in the
laud : and Abram went down
unto Egypt to sojourn there ;
for the famine was grievous in
11 the land. And it came to pass,
when he was come near to enter
into Egypt, that he said unto
Sarai his wife. Behold now, I
know that thou art a fair woman
12 to look upon. Therefore it
shall come to pass, when the
Egyptians shall see thee, that
they shall say, This is his wife :
and they will kill me, but they
13 will save thee alive. Say, I pray
thee, thou art my sister ; that it
may be well with me for thy sake,
and my soul may live because
14 of thee. And it came to pass,
that when Abram was come
into Egypt, the Egyptians be-
held the woman that she was
15 very fair. And the princes of
Pharaoh saw her, and com-
mended her before Pharaoh :
and the woman was taken into
16 Pharaoh's house. And he en-
treated Abram well for her sake ;
and he had sheep, and oxen, and
he-asses, and menservants, and
hand-maidens, and she-asses, and
17 camels. And Jehovah plagued
Pharaoh and his house with
great plagues because of Sarai
18 Abram's wife. And Pharaoh
TEXT
93
called Abram, and said, What is
this that thou hast done unto
me ? why didst thou not tell me
19 that she was thy wife ? Why
saidst thou, She is my sister?
so that I took her to me
to wife : now therefore behold
thy wife, take her, and go thy
20 way. And Pharaoh gave charge
to men concerning him : and
they sent him away, and his
wife, and all that he had.
13 6 And the land was not able
to bear them, that they might
dwell together : for their sub-
stance was great, so that they
could not dwell together.
13 And Abram went up out of
Egypt, he, and his wife, and all
that he had, and Lot with him,
2 to the South. And Abram was
very rich in cattle, in silver, and
3 in gold. And he went on his
journeys from the South even to
Beth-el, unto the place where
his tent had been at the begin-
ning, between Beth-el and Ai,
4 unto the place of the altar,
which he had made there at the
first : and there Abram called on
5 the name of Jehovati. And Lot
also, which went with Abram,
had flocks, and herds, and tents.
7 And there was a strife between
the herdmen of Abram's cattle
and the herdmen of Lot's cattle:
and the Canaanite and the Periz-
zite dwelled then in the land
xiii. 1-5, 7-ll«, 12&-18 resemble the bulk of chap, xii., and, like it,
belong to J. With ver. 4 compare iv. 26. The way in which Lot is
mentioned implies that his name occurred in the passage omitted before
xi. 28.
xiii. 6 and xiii. llh-V2a are not necessary to the contexts in which they
are placed, but together form an epitome of what is told at greater length
in the rest of chap. xiii. The former contains a phrase found in other
sections of P (xii. 5 ; cf. also xxxvi. 7), and they may both be assigned to
that document.
94 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
P J
8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let
there be no strife, I pray thee,
between me and thee, and be-
tween my herdmen and thy
herdmen ; for we be brethren.
9 Is not the whole land before
thee ? separate thyself, I pray
thee, from me : if thou wilt
take the left hand, then I will
. go to the right ; or if thou de-
part to the right hand, then I
10 will go to the left. And Lot
lifted up his eyes, and beheld
all the Plain of Jordan, that it
was well watered every where,
before Jehovah destroyed Sodom
and Gomorrah, even as the gar-
den of Jehovah, like the land of
Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar.
116 And they separated themselves 11 Then Lot chose him all the
12 the one from the other. Abram Plain of Jordan ; and Lot jour-
dwelled in the land of Canaan, 126neyed east: and moved his
and Lot dwelled in the cities of 13 tent as far as Sodom. But the
the Plain. men of Sodom were wicked and
sinners before Jehovah exceed-
14 ingly. And Jehovah said unto
Abram, after that Lot was sepa-
rated him, Lift up now thine
eyes, and look from the place
where thou art northward, and
southward, and eastwffrd, and
15 westward : for all the land
which thou seest, to thee will I
give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the
dust of the earth : so that if a
man can number the dust of
the earth, then shall thy seed
17 also be numbered. Arise, walk
through the land in the length
of it and in the breadth of it ;
for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram moved his tent,
and came and dwelt by the
terebinths of Mamre, which are
in Hebron, and built there an
altar unto Jehovah.
TEXT 95
P J(?)
14 And it came to pass in the
days of Amraphel king of Shinar,
Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedor-
laomer king of Elam, and Tidal
2 king of Goyim, that these
made war with Bera king of
Sodom, and with Birsha king
of Gomorrah, Shinab king of
Admah, and Shemeber king of
Zeboiim, and the king of Bela
3 (which is Zoar). All these were
joined together in the vale of
Siddim (which is the Salt Sea).
4 Twelve years they served Che-
dorlaomer, and in the thirteenth
5 year they rebelled. And in the
fourteenth year came Chedor-
laomer, and the kings that were
with him, and smote the Reph-
aim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and
the Zuzim in Ham, and the
Emim in the plain of Kiriathaim,
6 and the Horites in their mount
Seir, unto El-paran, which is by
7 the wilderness. And they re-
turned, and came to En-mishpat
(which is Kadesh), and smote
all the country of the Amalek-
ites, and also the Amorites, that
8 dwelt in Hazezon-tamar. And
there went out the king of
Sodom, and the king of Gomor-
rah, and the king of Admah
and the king of Zeboiim, and
the king of Bela (the same is
Zoar) ; and they joined battle
with them in the vale of Siddim;
Chap, xiv., by the dating of the events related in it by reference to the
reigns of Babylonian kings, would seem to be derived from Babylonian
records. Into which of the two documents, P and J, it was originally
incorporated is uncertain, as there is a confusion of characteristics. The
references in vers. 12 and 13 connect it with the preceding section of J;
and it contains the divine name distinctive of that source (ver. 22) ; but the
word substance is otherwise peculiar to P (c/. xii. 5, xxxvi. 7), as are also
the expressions home-born slaves (xvii. 12, 13), and the use of the word
person {cf. xii. 5, xvii. 14). The compiler's hand is visible in the numerous
explanations of ancient names (vers. 2, 7, 8, 17), and perhaps in the paren-
thesis in ver. 13.
96 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J(?)
9 with Chedorlaomer king of
Elam, and with Tidal, king of
Goyim, and Amraphel king of
Shinar, and Arioch king of El-
lasar ; four kings with the five.
10 And the vale of Siddim was full
of bitumen pits ; and the kings
of Sodom and Gomorrah fled,
and fell there ; and they that
remained fled to the mountains.
11 And they took all the substance
of Sodom and Gomorrah, and
all their victuals, and went
12 their way. And they took Lot,
Abram's brother's son, who
dwelt in Sodom, and his sub-
13 stance, and departed. And there
came one that had escaped, and
told Abram the Hebrew (for he
dwelt by the terebinths of Mamre
the Amorite, brother of Eshcol,
and brother of Aner : and these
were confederate with Abram).
14 And when Abram heard that his
brother was taken captive, he
led forth his trained men, home-
born slaves, three hundred and
eighteen, and pursued them un-
15 to Dan. And he divided him-
self against them, he and his
servants, by night, -and smote
them, and pursued them unto
Hobah, which is on the left
16 hand of Damascus. And he
brought back all the substance,
and also brought again his
brother Lot, and his substance,
and the women also, and the
17 people. And the king of Sodom
went out to meet him after his
return from the slaughter of
Chedorlaomer, and of the kings
that were with him, at the
valley of Shaveh (which is the
18 Kirc;'s Vale). And Melchizedek
king of Salem brought forth
bread and wine ; and he was
the priest of God Most High.
19 And he blessed him, and said
TEXT 97
Blessed be Abram of God Most
High, possessor of heaven and
20 earth : and blessed be God
Most High, which hath de-
livered thine enemies into thy
hand. And he gave him a tithe
21 of all. And the king of Sodom
said unto Abram, Give me the
persons, and take the substance
22 to thyself. And Abram said to
the king of Sodom, I have lifted
up mine hand unto Jehovah,
God Most High, the possessor
23 of heaven and earth, that I
will not take from a thread
even to a shoelatchet — I will
not take any thing that is
thine, lest thou shouldest say,
24 I have made Abram rich : let
there be nothing for me ; only
that which the young men have
eaten, and the portion of the
men which went with me, Aner,
Eshcol, and Mamre — let them
take their portion.
15 After these things the word
of Jehovah came unto Abram
in a vision, saying, Fear not,
Abram : I am thy shield ; ex-
ceeding great shall be thy re-
2 ward. And Abram said. Lord
Jehovah, what wilt thou give
me, seeing I go childless, and
the steward of my house is
3 Damascus of Eliezer? And
Abram said. Behold, to me thou
hast given no seed : and, lo, one
born in my house is mine heir,
4 And, behold, the word of Jeho-
vah came unto him, saying. This
c. XV. belongs, at least in part, to J : the expression substance, though
most common in P, is found, as has been seen, in conjunction with
peculiarities of J in chap. xiv. But there are certain inconsistencies in
the narrative (see note) which suggest that, if E is found before c. xx. (see
crit. note there), it is probably in this section. The resemblance to Deut-
eronomy observable in ver. 7 (c/. Deut. v. 31, xix. 2) and 20-21 (c/. Deut.
vii. 1), may be due to the compiler (c/. xxvi. 5).
98 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
shall not be thine heir ; but he
that shall come forth out of
thine own bowels shall be thine
5 heir. And he brought him forth
abroad, and said, Look now
toward heaven, and number the
stars, if thou be able to number
them : and he said unto him,
6 So shall thy seed be. And he
believed in Jehovah; and he
counted it to him for righteous-
7 ness. And he said unto him,
I am Jehovah that brought thee
out of Ur of the Chafdees, to
give thee this land to inherit it,
8 And he said. Lord Jehovah,
whereby shall I know that I
9 shall inherit it? And he said
unto him, Take me a heifer of
three years old, and a she-goat
of three years old, and a ram of
three years old, and a turtle-
10 dove, and a young pigeon. And
he took unto him all these, and
divided them in the midst, and
laid each piece one against
another : but the birds divided
11 he not. And when the birds of
prey came down upon the car-
cases, Abram drove t^em away.
12 And when the sun was going
down, a deep sleep fell upon
Abram ; and, lo, a horror of
great darkness fell upon him.
13 And he said unto Abram, Know
of a surety that thy seed shall
be a stranger in a land that is
not theirs, and shall serve them ;
and they shall afflict them four
14 hundred years; and also that
nation, whom they shall serve,
will I judge: and afterward
shall they come out with great
15 substance. But thou shalt go
to thy fathers in peace ; thou
shalt be buried in a good old
16 age. And in the fourth genera-
tion they shall come hither
again : for the iniquity of the
TEXT
99
17 Amorites is not yet full. And
it came to pass, that, when the
sun went down, and it was dark,
behold a smoking furnace, and
a flamuig torch that passed
18 between those pieces. In the
same day Jehovah entered into
a covenant with Abram, saying,
Unto thy seed have I given this
land, from the river of Egypt
unto the great river, the river
19 Euphrates: the Kenite, and the
Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
20 and the Hittite, and the Periz-
21 zite, and the Rephaim, and
the Amorite, and the Canaanite,
and the Girgashite, and the Je-
busite.
16 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare
him no children : and she had a
handmaid, an Egyptian, whose
name was Hagar.
3 And Sarai Abram's wife took
Hagar her handmaid the Egyp-
tian, after Abram had dwelt ten
years in the land of Canaan,
and gave her to her husband
Abram to be his wife.
16 2 And Sarai said unto Abram,
Behold now, Jehovah hath re-
strained me from bearing : I
pray thee, go in unto my hand-
maid ; it may be that I may
obtain children by her. And
Abram hearkened to the voice
of Sarai.
4 And he went in unto Hagar,
and she conceived : and when
she saw that she had conceived,
her mistress was despised in her
5 eyes. And Sarai said unto
Abram, My wrong be upon thee :
I have given my handmaid into
thy bosom ; and when she saw
that she had conceived, I was
despised in her eyes : Jehovah
judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Be-
hold, thy handmaid is in thy
hand ; do to her as it pleaseth
thee. And when Sarai dealt
hardly with her, she fled from
xvi. 1, 3, are parallel to xvi. 2, with the former of which passages vers.
15 and 16 harmonise, these last containing the chronological details
characteristic of P. J.'s mention of Sarah's barrenness occurs in xi. 30.
xvi. 2, 4-14 uniformly exhibit the name Jehovah; whilst the etymology
in ver. 11 is in the style of ii. 23, iii. 20, v. 29.
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
15 And Hagar bare Abram a son :
and Abram called the name of his
son which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16 And Abram was fourscore and
six years old, when Hagar bare
Ishmael to Abram.
7 her face. And the angel of Je-
hovah found her by a fountain
of water in the wilderness, by
the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's hand-
maid, whence camest thou ? and
whither goest thou ? And she
said, I flee from the face of my
9 mistress Sarai. And the angel
of Jehovah said unto her, Keturn
to thy mistress, and submit thy-
10 self under her hands. And the
angel of Jehovah said unto her,
I will multiply thy seed exceed-
ingly, that it shail not be num-
11 bered for multitude. And the
angel of Jehovah said unto her,
Behold, thou art with child, and
shalt bear a son, and shalt call
his name Ishmael ; because
Jehovah hath heard thy afflic-
12 tion. And he will be a wild
man ; his hand will be against
every man, and every man's
hand against him ; and he shall
dwell in the presence of all his
13 brethren. And she called the
name of Jehovah that spake unto
her. Thou art a God of seeing :
for she said. Have I even here
looked after him that seeth me ?
14 Wherefore the well was called
Beer-lahai-roi ; behold, it is
between Kadesh and Bered.
17 And when Abram was ninety
years old and nine, Jehovah ap-
peared to Abram, and said unto
xvii. 1-27 has the characteristic language of P (in spite of the excep-
tional use of Jehovah in ver. 1) ; cf. especially ix. 9 foil. In ver. 16-19 a
different explanation of the name Isaac is implied from those given in
xviii. 10 foil. (J), and xxi. 6 (E).
TEXT
P
him, I am God Almighty ; walk
before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant
between me and thee, and will
3 multiply thee exceedingly. And
Abram fell on his face : and
God talked with him, saying,
4 Behold, mycovenant is with thee,
and thou shalt be a father of a
5 multitude of nations. Neither
shall thy name anymore be called
Abram, but thy name shall be
Abraham ; for a father of a mul-
titude of nations have I made
6 thee. And I will make thee
exceeding fruitful, and I will
make nations of thee, and kings
7 shall come out of thee. And I
will establish my covenant be-
tween me and thee and thy
seed after thee in their genera-
tions for an everlasting cove-
nant, to be a God unto thee,
and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and
to thy seed after thee, the land
of thy sojournings, all the land
of Canaan, for an everlasting
possession ; and I will be their
9 God. And God said unto
Abraham, Thou shalt keep my
covenant, thou and thy seed
after thee in their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye
shall keep, between me and
you and thy seed after thee ;
Every male among you shall be
11 circumcised. And ye shall cir-
cumcise the flesh of your fore-
skin ; and it shall be a token of
the covenant betwixt me and
12 you. And he that is eight
days old shall be circumcised
among you, every male in your
generations, he that is home-
born, or purchased with money
from any alien, which is not of
13 thy seed. He that is home-born,
and he that is purchased with
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
thy money, must needs be
circumcised -. and my covenant
shall be in your flesh for an
14 everlasting covenant. And the
uncircumcised male whose flesh
of his foreskin is not circum-
cised, that person shall be cut
off from his people ; he hath
15 broken my covenant. And God
said unto Abraham, As for Sarai
thy wife, thou shalt not call her
name Sarai, but Sarah shall her
1(5 name be. And I will bless her,
and also give thee a son of her :
yea, I will bless her, and she
shall become nations ; kings of
17 peoples shall be of her. Then
Abraham fell upon his face, and
laughed, and said in his heart,
Shall a child be born unto him
that is a hundred years old ?
and shall Sarah, that is ninety
18 years old, bear ? And Abraham
said unto God, Oh that Ishmael
19 might live before thee! And
God said, Sarah thy wife shall
bear thee a son indeed ; and
thou shalt call his name Isaac ;
and I will establish my cove-
nant with him for an everlast-
ing covenant, for his seed
20 after him. And as for Ishmael,
I have heard thee : Behold, I
have blessed him, and will make
him fruitful, and will multiply
him exceedingly ; twelve princes
shall he beget, and I will make
21 him a great nation. But my
covenant will I establish with
Isaac, which Sarah shall bear
unto thee at this set time in
22 the next year. And he left ofif
talking with him, and God went
23 up from Abraham. And Abra-
ham took Ishmael his son, and
all that were home -born, and
all that were purchased with
his money, every male among
the men of Abraham's house;
TEXT
103
and circumcised the flesh of
their foreskin in the self-same
day, as God had said unto him.
24 And Abraham was ninety years
old and nine, when he was
circumcised in the flesh of his
25 foreskin. And Ishmael his son
was thirteen years old, when he
was circumcised in the flesh of
26 his foreskin. In the selfsame
day was Abraham circumcised,
27 and Ishmael his son. And all
the men of his house, those
that were home-born, and pur-
chased with money from the
alien, were circumcised with
him.
18 And Jehovah appeared unto
him by the terebinths of Mamre :
and he sat in the entrance of the
2 tent in the heat of the day ; and
he lifted up his eyes and looked,
and, lo, three men stood by him :
and when he saw them, he ran to
meet them from the entrance of
the tent, and bowed himself to the
3 earth, and said. My lord, if now
I have found grace in thy sight,
pass not away, I pray thee, from
4 thy servant: let a little water,
I pray you, be fetched, and wash
your feet, and rest yourselves
5 under the tree : and I will fetch
a morsel of bread, and comfort
ye your hearts ; afterward ye
shall pass on : because ye are
come to your servant. And they
said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into
the tent unto Sarah, and said,
Make ready quickly three mea-
sures of fine meal, knead it,
7 and make cakes. And Abraham
ran unto the herd, and fetched
Chap, xviii. and chap. xix. (except ver. 29) are of a piece, and are dis-
tinguished by the Divine name Jehovah : they may accordingly be assigned
to J.
[04 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
a calf tender and good, and
gave it unto the servant; and
8 he hasted to dress it. And
he took butter, and milk, and
the calf which he had dressed,
and set it before them ; and he
stood by them under the tree,
9 andthoy did eat. And they said
unto him, Where is Sarah thy
wife ? And he said, Behold, in
10 the tent. And he said, I will
surely return unto thee when the
season revives ; and, lo, Sarah
thy wife shall have a son. And
Sarah heard it in the entrance of
the tent, which was behind him.
n Now Abraham and Sarah were
old and well stricken in age ; and
it ceased to be with Sarah after
12 the manner of women. There-
fore Sarah laughed within her-
self, saying. After I am waxed
old shall I have pleasure, my
13 lord being old also ? And Je-
hoiah said unto Abraham, Where-
fore did Sarah laugh, saying.
Shall I of a surety bear a child,
14 which am old ? Is anything too
hard for Jehovah? At the set
time I will return mito thee,
when the season revives, and
15 Sarah shall have a son. Then
Sarah denied, saying, I laughed
not ; for she was afraid. And
he said. Nay ; but thou didst
16 laugh. And the men rose up
from thence, and looked toward
Sodom : and Abraham went with
them to bring them on the way.
17 And Jehovah^ said, Shall I hide
from Abraham that thing which
18 I do ; seeing that Abraham shall
surely become a greatand mighty
nation, and all the nations of the
earth shall bless themselves by
19 him ? For I have known him, in
order that he may command his
children and his household after
him, that they may keep the way
TEXT 105
J
of Jehovah, to do justice and
judgment ; that Jehovah may
bring upon Abraham that which
20 he hath spoken of him. And Je-
hovah said, Because the cry of
Sodom and Gomorrah is great,
and because their sin is very
21 grievous; I will go down now,
and see whether they have done
altogether according to the cry
of it, which is come unto me ;
22 and if not, I will know. And
the men turned from thence, and
went toward Sodom : but Abra-
ham stood yet before Jehovah.
23 And Abraham drew near, and
said, Wilt thou consume the
2i righteous with the wicked? Per-
adventure there be fifty right-
eous within the city : wilt thou
consume and not spare the place
for the fifty righteous that are
25 therein ? Be it far from thee to
do after this manner, to slay the
righteous with the wicked, so
that the righteous should be as
the wicked ; that be far from
thee : shall not the Judge of all
26 the earth do right? And Je-
hovah said. If I find in Sodom
fifty righteous within the city,
then I will spare all the place
27 for their sakes. And Abraham
answered and said. Behold, now
I have taken upon me to speak
unto my Lord, which am but
28 dust and ashes : peradventure
there shall lack five of the fifty
righteous : wilt thou destroy all
the city for lack of five 1 And
he said. If I find there forty and
29 five, I will not destroy it. And
he spake unto him yet again,
and said, Peradventure there
shall be forty found there.
And he said, I will not do it
30 for forty's sake. And he said
unto him, Oh let not my Lord
be angry, and I will speak :
[o6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
peradventure there shall thirty-
be found there. And he said
I will not do it, if I find thirty
31 there. And he said, Behold
now, I have taken upon me to
speak unto my Lord : perad-
venture there shall be twenty
found there. And he said, I
will not destroy it for twenty's
32 sake. And he said, Oh let not
my Lord be angry, and I will
speak yet but this once : per-
adventure ten shall be found
there. And he said, I will not
33 destroy it for ten's sake. And
Jehovah went his way, as soon
as he had left communing
with Abraham : and Abraham
returned unto his place.
19 And the two angels came to
Sodom at even ; and Lot sat in
the gate of Sodom : and Lot
seeing them, rose up to meet
them ; and he bowed himself
2 with his face to the earth. And
he said. Behold now, my lords,
turn in, I pray you, into your
servant's house, and tarry all
night, and wash yout feet, and
ye shall rise up early, and go
on your way. And they said,
Nay ; but we will abide in the
3 street all night. And he pressed
them greatly ; and they turned
in unto him, and entered into
his house; and he made them
a feast, and did bake unleavened
4 bread, and they did eat. But
before they lay down, the men
of the city, even the men of
Sodom, compassed the house
round, both old and young, all
the people from every quarter :
5 and they called unto Lot, and
said unto him. Where are the
men which came in to thee this
night ? bring them out unto us,
6 that we may know them. And
TEXT 107
J
Lot went out to the entrance to
them, and shut the door after
7 him, and said, I pray you,
brethren, do not so wickedly.
8 Behold now, I have two daugh-
ters, which have not known
man ; let me, I pray you, bring
them out unto you, and do ye
to them as is good in your
eyes : only unto these men do
nothing ; because they are come
under the shadow of my roof.
9 And they said. Stand back.
And they said again. This one
fellow came in to sojourn, and
he will needs be a judge ; now
will we deal worse with thee,
than with them. And they
pressed sore upon the man,
even Lot, and came near to
10 break the door. But the men
put forth their hand, and pulled
Lot into the house to them, and
11 shut to the door. And they
smote the men that were at the
entrance of the house with blind-
ness, both small and great ; so
that they wearied themselves to
12 find the entrance. And the men
said unto Lot, Hast thou here
any besides ? son in law, and
thy sons, and thy daughters,
and whomsoever thou hast in
the city, bring them out of this
13 place : for we will destroy this
place, because the cry of them
is waxen great before the face
of Jehovah; and Jehovah hath
14 sent us to destroy it. And Lot
went out, and spake unto his
sons in law, which had married
his daughters, and said. Up, get
you out of this place ; for
Jehovah will destroy this city.
But he seemed unto his sons
in law as one that mocked.
15 And when the morning arose,
then the angels hastened Lot,
saying. Arise, take thy wife, and
io8
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
19 29 And it came to pass, when
God destroj-ed the cities of the
Plain, that God remembered
Abraham, and sent Lot out of
the midst of the overthrow,
when lie overthrew the cities in
the which Lot dwelt.
thy two daughters, which are
here ; lest thou be consumed in
16 the iniquity of the city. And
while he lingered, the men laid
hold upon his hand, and upon
the hand of his wife, and upon
the hand of his two daughters ;
/c^omA being merciful unto him :
and they brought him forth, and
17 set him without the city. And
it came to pass, when they had
brought them forth abroad, that
he said, Escape for thy life ;
look not behind thee, neither
stay thou in all the Plain ;
escape to the mountain, lest
18 thou be consumed. And Lot
said unto them, Oh, not so, my
1 lord : behold now, thy servant
hath found grace in thy sight,
and thou hast magnified thy
mercy, which thou hast showed
unto me in saving my life ; and
I cannot escape to the mountain,
lest the evil take me, and I
20 die : behold now, this city is
near to flee unto, and it is a
little one : Oh, let me escape
thither, (is it not a little one ?)
21 and my soul shall li^e. And he
said unto him, See, I have
accepted thee concerning this
thing also, that I will not over-
throw this city, for the which
22 thou hast spoken. Haste thee,
escape thither ; for I cannot
do any thing till thou be come
thither. Therefore the name
of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun was risen upon the
earth when Lot entered into
24 Zoar. Then Jehovah rained upon
xix. 29 is distinguished from its context by the use of the word Gud ; and
though the word Plain is found more than once in the JE part of this
chapter, the particular combination cities of the Plain only occurs in xiii.
12 (P). The phrase remembered Abraham is also more common in P than
in JE [cf. viii. 1, ix. 15, 16) ; so that the verse may preferably be assigned
to the Priestly source, in which it may have followed xiii. 12((.
TEXT
109
Sodom and upon Gomorrah
brimstone and fire from Jehovah
25 out of tieaven ; and he over-
threw those cities, and all the
Plain, and all the inhabitants of
the cities, and that which grew
2G upon the (/round. But his wife
looked back from behind him,
and she became a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham got up early in
the morning to the place where
28 he stood before Jehovah: and
he looked toward Sodom and
Gomorrah, and toward all the
land of the Plain, and beheld,
and, lo, the smoke of the land
went up as the smoke of a
30 furnace. And Lot went up out
of Zoar, and dwelt in the moun-
tain, and his two daughters with
him ; for he feared to dwell in
Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave,
31 he and his two daughters. And
the firstborn said unto the
younger, Our father is old, and
there is not a man in the earth
to come in unto us after the
32 manner of all the earth : come,
let us make our father drink
wine, and we will lie with him,
that we may preserve seed of
33 our father. And they made
their father drink wine that
night : and the first-born went
in, and lay with her father ;
and he perceived not when she
lay down, nor when she arose.
34 And it came to pass on the
morrow, that the firstborn said
unto the younger, Behold, I
lay yesternight with my father :
let us make him drink wine
this night also ; and go thou in,
and lie with him, that we may
preserve seed of our father.
35 And they made their father
drink wine that night also :
and the younger arose, and
lay with him ; and he perceived
no THE BOOK OF GENESIS
P JE
not when she lay down, nor
36 when she arose. Thus were
both the daughters of Lot with
37 child by their father. And the
firstborn bare a son, and called
his name Moab ; the same is the
father of the Moabites unto this
38 day. And the younger, she also
bare a son, and called his name
Ben-ammi : the same is the father
of the children of Ammon unto
this day.
20 And Abraham journeyed
from thence toward the South
country, and dwelled between
Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned
2 in Gerar. And Abraham said of
Sarah his wife, She is my sister :
and Abimelech king of Gerar
3 sent, and took Sarah. But God
came to Abimelech in a dream
by night, and said to him. Be-
hold, thou art but a dead man,
for the woman which thou hast
taken ; for she is a man's wife.
4 But Abimelech had not come
near her : and he said. Lord,
wilt thou slay even a righteous
5 nation ? Said he net unto me,
She is my sister '? and she, even
she herself said. He is my
brother : in the integrity of my
heart and innocency of my hands
6 have I done this. And God said
unto him in a dream, Yea, I
know that thou didst this in
the integrity of thy heart ; and I
also withheld thee from sinning
against me : therefore suffered I
From chap. xx. onward there appear a number of passages which, like
those of P, regularly have the name God in place of Jehovah, but do not
exhibit the other characteristics of P. Hence these are usually assigned
to a different writer (symbolised by E) from the author of J ; and the
companion document of P is henceforward composite, though the analysis
is too uncertain for the component elements to be indicated with exactness.
XX. 1-17 may with some confidence be attributed to E ; ver. 18 presum-
ably comes from J.
TEXT
JE
7 theenot to touch her. Nowthere-
fore restore the man his wife ; for
he is a prophet, and he shall
pray for thee, and thou shalt
live : and if thou restore her not,
know thou that thou shalt surely
die, thou, and all that are thine.
8 Therefore Abimelech rose early
in the morning, and called all
his servants, and told all these
things in their ears : and the
9 men were sore afraid. Then
Abimelech called Abraham, and
said unto him, What hast thou
done unto us ? and in what have
I offended thee, that thou hast
brought on me and on my king-
dom a great sin ? thou hast done
deeds unto me that ought not
10 to be done. And Abimelech said
unto Abraham, What sawest
thou, that thou hast done this
11 thing? And Abraham said. Be-
cause I thought. Surely the fear
of God is not in this place ; and
they will slay me for my wife's
12 sake. And yet indeed she is my
sister ; she is the daughter of
my father, but not the daughter
of my mother ; and she became
13 my wife. And it came to pass,
when God caused me to wander
from my father's house, that I
said unto her, This is thy kind-
ness which thou shalt show unto
me ; at every place whither we
shall come, say of me, He is my
14 brother. And Abimelech took
sheep, and oxen, and menser-
vants, and hand-maidens, and
gave them unto Abraham, and
restored him Sarah his wife.
15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my
land is before thee : dwell where
16 it pleaseth thee. And unto Sarah
he said, Behold, I have given thy
brother a thousand pieces of
silver: behold, let this be for
thee a covering of the eyes
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
of all that are with thee ; and
in the presence of all thou art
righted. So Abraham prayed
unto God : and God healed
Abimelech, and his wife, and his
maidservants ; and they bare
children. For Jehovah had fast
closed up all the wombs of the
house of Abimelech, because of
Sarah Abraham's wife.
21 1& And Jehovah did unto Sarah
26as he had spoken, at the set
time of which God had spoken
3 to him. And Abraham called
the name of his son that was
born unto him, whom Sarah
4 bare to him, Isaac. And Abra-
ham circumcised Isaac his son,
being eight clays old, as God had
5 commanded him. And Abraham
was a hundred years old, when
his son Isaac, was born unto
him.
21 And Jehovah visited Sarah as
2 he had said. And Sarah con-
ceived and hare Abraham a son
in his old asre.
t) And Sarah said, God hath
made me to laugh, every one
that heareth will laugh with me.
7 And she said, Who would have
said unto Abraham, that Sarah
should give children suck? for
I have borne him a son in his
8 old age. And the child grew,
and was weaned : and Abraham
made a great feast on the day
9 that Isaac was weaned. And
Sarah saw the son of Hagar the
Egyptian, which she had borne
10 unto Abraham, mocking. Where-
fore she said unto Abraham,
Cast out this maidservant and
her son : for the son of this
xxi. la, 2't belong to J, from the characteristic Jehovah.
xxi. 16, 2/^-5 form a section which is, in part, parallel to other portions
of the chapter ; and except for the use of Jehovah in 16 has the chrono-
logical precision of P.
xxi. 6-32 presumably belongs to E. The name Beersheba, derived in ver.
31 from the oath between Abimelech and Abraham is, in xxvi. .33 (J),
derived from the oath between Abimelech and Isaac.
TEXT 113.
maidservant shall not be heir
with my son, even with Isaac,
11 And the thing was very grievous
in Abraham's sight because of
12 his son. And God said unto
Abraham, Let it not be grievous
in thy sight because of the lad,
and because of thy maidservant ;
in all that Sarah hath said unto
thee, hearken unto her voice ;
for in Isaac shall thy seed be
13 called. And also of the son of
the maidservant will I make a
nation, because he is thy seed.
14 And Abraham rose up early in
the morning, and took bread,
and a skin of water, and gave it
unto Hagar, putting it on her
shoulder, and the child, and sent
her away : and she departed,
and wandered in the wilderness
15 of Beer-sheba. And the water
in the skin was spent, and she
cast the child under one of the
16 shrubs. And she went, and sat
her down over against him a
good way off, as it were a bow-
shot : for she said. Let me not
see the death of the child. And
she sat over against him, and
lifted up her voice, and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the
lad ; and the angel of God called
to Hagar out of heaven, and
said unto her, What aileth thee,
Hagar ? fear not ; for God hath
heard the voice of the lad where
18 he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and
hold him in thine hand ; for I
will make him a great nation.
19 And God opened her eyes, and
she saw a well of water; and
she went, and filled the skin
with water, and gave the lad
20 drink. And God was with the
lad ; and he grew, and dwelt in
the wilderness, and became an
21 archer. And he dwelt in the
wilderness of Paran : and his
H
114 THE book: of GENESIS
P JE
mother took him a wife out of
22 the land of Egypt. And it came
to pass at that time, that Abime-
lech and Phichol the chief cap-
tain of his host spake unto
Abraham, saying, God is with
23 thee in all that thou doest : now
therefore swear unto me here
by God that thou wilt not deal
falsely with me, nor with my
son, nor with my son's son : but
according to the kindness that
I have shown unto thee, thou
shalt show unto me, and to the
land wherein thou hast so-
24 journed. And Abraham said, I
25 will swear. And Abraliam had
reproved Abimelech because of a
well of water, which Abimelech's
servants had violently taken
26 away. And Abimelech said, I
wot not who hath done this
thing: neither didst thou tell
me, neither yet heard I of it,
27 but to-day. And Abraham took
sheep and oxen, and gave them
unto Abimelech ; and both of
them entered into a covenant,
28 And Abraham set seven ewe
lambs of the flock .by them-
29 selves. And Abimelech said
unto Abraham, What mean these
seven ewe lambs which thou
oO hast set by themselves ? And
he said, These seven ewe lambs
shalt thou take of my hand, that
they may be a witness unto me,
that I have digged this well.
31 Wherefore he called that place
Beer-sheba ; because there they
32 sware both of them. Thus they
entered into a covenant at Beer-
sheba : and Abimelech rose up,
and Phichol the chief captain of
his host, and they returned into
33 the land of the Philistines. And
xxi. 33 has the marks of J. (cf. iv. 26) : 3-1 is inconsistent with 32, which
places the meeting of Abraham and Abimelech outside of Philistia.
TEXT 115
p JE
Abraham planted a tamarisk in
Beer-sheba, and called there on
the name of Jehovah, the Ever-
34 lasting God. And Abraham so-
journed in the Philistines' land
many days.
22 And it came to pass after
these things, that God did test
Abraham, and said unto him,
Abraham : and he said, Behold,
2 here I am. And he said. Take
now thy son, thine only son Isaac,
whom thou lovest, and get thee
into the land of Moriah ; and
offer him there for a burnt offer-
ing upon one of the mountains
3 which I will tell thee of. And
Abraham rose up early in the
morning, and saddled his ass,
and took two of his young men
with him, and Isaac his son, and
clave the wood for the burnt
offering, and rose up, and went
unto the place of which God had
4 told him. Then on the third
day Abraham lifted up his eyes,
5 and saw the place afar off. And
Abraham said unto his young
men, Abide ye here with the
ass ; and I and the lad will go
yonder and worship, and come
6 again to you. And Abraham
took the wood of the burnt
oflfering, and laid it upon Isaac
his son ; and he took the fire in
his hand, and the knife ; and
they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham
his father, and said, My father :
and he said. Here am I, my son.
And he said. Behold the fire and
the wood : but where is the
8 lamb for a burnt oflfering 1 And
Abraham said, My son, God will
provide himself the lamb for a
xxii. 1-24 belong partly to E, partly to J ; vers. 1-13, 19 possibly being
■derived from the former, the rest from the latter.
n6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
burnt offering : so they went
9 both of them together. And
they came to the place which
God had told him of ; and Abra-
ham built the altar there, and
laid the wood in order, and
bound Isaac his son, and laid
him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth
his hand, and took the knife
11 to slay his son. And the angel
of Jehovah called unto him out
of heaven, and said, Abraham,
Abraham : and he said, Here
12 am I, And he said. Lay not
thine hand upon the lad, neither
do thou any thing unto him :
for now I know that thou f earest
God, seeing thou hast not with-
held thy son, thine only son
13 from me. And Abraham lifted
up his eyes, and looked, and be-
hold behind him a ram caught
in a thicket by its horns : and
Abraham went and took the
ram, and offered it up for a
burnt offering in the stead of his
14 son. And Abraham called the
name of that place Jehovah-
jireh : so that it is saia to this
day, In the mount of Jehovah
15 He manifests Himself. And
the angel of Jehovah called unto
Abraham out of heaven the
16 second time, and said, By
myself have I sworn, saith
Jehovah, because thou hast done
this thing, and hast not with-
held thy son, thine only son :
17 that in blessing I will bless
thee, and in multiplying I
will multiply thy seed as the
stars of the heaven, and as the
sand which is upon the sea
shore ; and thy seed shall pos-
sess the gate of his enemies ;
18 and by thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth bless them-
selves ; because thou hast obeyed
TEXT
23 And Sarah was a hundred
and seven and twenty years
old : these were the years of
2 the life of Sarah. And Sarah
died in Kiriath-arba (the same is
Hebron) in the land of Canaan:
and Abraham came to mourn
for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3 And Abraham stood up from
before his dead, and spake unto
the children of Heth, saying,
4 I am a stranger and a sojourner
with you : give me a possession
of a buryingplace with you, that
I may bury my dead out of my
5 sight. And the children of Heth
answered Abraham, saying unto
6 him. Hear us, my lord : thou
art a mighty prince among us :
in the choice of our sepulchres
bury thy dead ; none of us shall
withhold from thee his sepul-
JE
19 my voice. So Abraham returned
unto his young men, and they
rose up and went together to
Beer-sheba ; and Abraham dwelt
20 at Beer-sheba. And it came to
pass after these things, that it
was told Abraham, saying, Be-
hold, Milcah, she also hath borne
children unto thy brother Na-
21 hor ; Uz his firstborn, and Buz
his brother, and Kemuel the
22 father of Aram, and Chesed,
and Hazo, and Pildash, and
23 Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Be-
thnel engeiider-cdHehehah : these
eight Milcah did bear to Nahor,
24 Abraham's brother. And his
concubine, whose name was
Reumah, she bare also Tebah,
and Gaham, and Thahash, and
Maachah.
Chap, xxiii. has the characteristics of certain sections of P. P regards
Mamrc (ver. 17) as a locality [cf. xxv. 9, xlix. 30, 1. 13), whereas J speaks of
the terehinths of Mainre, Mamre apparently being the name of a person (see
xiii. 18, xiv. 13, xviii. 1).
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
chre, but that thou mayest bury
7 thy dead. And Abraham stood
up and bowed himself to the
people of the land, even to the
8 children of Heth. And he com-
muned with them, saying, If it
be your mind that I should bury
my dead out of my sight ; hear
me, and entreat for me to
9 Ephron the son of Zohar, that
he may give me the cave of
Machpelah, which he hath,
which is in the end of his field ;
for as much money as it is worth
he shall give it me amongst
you for a possession of a bury-
10 ingplace. And Ephron was
seated among the children of
Heth : and Ephron the Hittite
answered Abraham in the audi-
ence of the children of Heth,
even of all that went in at the
11 gate of his city, saying, Nay,
my lord, hear me : the field
give I thee, and the cave that
is therein, I give it thee ; in
the presence of the sons of my
people give I it thee : bury thy
12 dead. And Abraham bowed
down himself before the people
13 of the land. And he spake unto
Ephron in the audience of the
people of the land, saying, But
if thou — ; I pray thee, hear
me : I will give thee the money
for the field ; take it of me,
and I will bury my dead there.
14 And Ephron answered Abra-
15 ham, saying unto him, My
lord, hearken unto me: land
worth four hundred shekels of
silver, what is that betwixt me
and thee ? bury therefore thy
16 dead. And Abraham hearkened
unto Ephron ; and Abraham
weighed to Ephron the silver,
which he had named in the
audience of the children of
Heth, four hundred shekels of
TEXT
119
silver, current money with the
17 merchant. And the field of
Ephron, which was in Mach-
pelah, which was before Mamre,
the field, and the cave which
was therein, and all the trees
that were in the field, that
were in all the border round
18 about, were made sure unto
Abraham for a purchase in the
presence of the children of Heth,
before all that went in at the
19 gate of his city. And after
this, Abraham buried Sarah his
wife in the cave of the field of
Machpelah before Mamre (the
same is Hebron) in the land of
20 Canaan. And the field, and the
cave that is therein, were made
sure unto Abraham for a pos-
session of a buryingplace by
the children of Heth.
24 And Abraham was old, and
well stricken in age : and Jehovah
had blessed Abraham in all
2 things. And Abraham said un-
to his servant, the elder of his
house, that ruled over all that he
had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand
3 under my thigh : and I will
make thee swear by Jehovah,
the God of heaven, and the
God of the earth, that thou
shalt not take a wife unto
my son of the daughters of the
Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
4 but thou shalt go unto my
country, and to my kindred,
and take a wife unto my son
5 Isaac. And the servant said
unto him, Peradventure the
woman will not be willing to
follow me unto this land : must
xxiv. 1-xxv. 6 belongs to J, since it has Jehovah throughout ; whilst
xxiv. 7 refers to xii. 7, and xxiv. 15 to xi. 29. The descent of Shcba and
Bedan from JoJcshan the son of Abraham (xxv. 3) is inconsistent with the
genealogy given in x. 7 (?) ; and even with J's own account in x. 28.
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
I needs bring thy son again
unto the land from whence thou
6 earnest? And Abraham said
unto him, Beware that thou
bring not my son thither again.
7 Jehovah the God of heaven,
that took me from my father's
house, and from the land of my
kindred, and that spake unto
me, and that sware unto me,
saying. Unto thy seed will I
give this land ; he shall send
his angel before thee, and thou
shalt take a wife unto my son
8 from thence. And if the woman
will not be willing to follow
thee, then thou shalt be clear
from this my oath : only bring
9 not my son thither again. And
the servant put his hand under
the thigh of Abraham his master,
and sware to him concerning
10 that matter. And the servant
took ten camels of the camels
of his master, and departed ;
for all kinds of good things
of his master's were in his
hand : and he arose, and went
to Aram Naharaim, flnto the
11 city of Nahor. And he made
his camels to kneel down with-
out the city by the well of water
at the time of the evening, even
the time that women go out
12 to draw water. And he said, 0
Jehovah, the God of my master
Abraham, I pray thee, send me
good speed this day, and show
kindness unto my master Abra-
13 ham. Behold, I stand here by
the fountain of water ; and the
daughters of the men of the
city come out to draw water :
14 and let it come to pass, that
the damsel to whom I shall say,
Let down thy pitcher, I pray
thee, that I may drink ; and she
shall saj% Drink, and I will give
thy camels drink also ; let the
TEXT
same be she that thou hast ap-
pointed for thy servant Isaac ;
and thereby shall I know that
thou hast showed kindness unto
15 my master. And it came to
pass, before he had done speak-
ing, that, behold, Rebekah came
out, who was born to Bethuel,
son of Milcah, the wife of
Nahor, Abraham's brother, with
her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16 And the damsel was very fair to
look upon, a virgin, neither had
any man known her : and she
went down to the fountain, and
filled her pitcher, and came up.
17 And the servant ran to meet
her, and said. Let me, I pray
thee, drink a little water of thy
18 pitcher. And she said. Drink,
my lord : and she hasted, and
let down her pitcher upon her
19 hand, and gave him drink. And
when she had done giving him
drink, she said, I will draw
water for thy camels also, until
20 they have done drinking. And
she hasted, and emptied her
pitcher into the trough, and ran
again unto the well to draw
water, and drew for all his
21 camels. And the man gazed
at her, holding his peace, to
know whether Jehovah had made
his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass, as the
camels had done drinking, that
the man took a golden nose-ring
of half a shekel weight, and two
bracelets for her hands of ten
23 shekels weight of gold ; and
said, Whose daughter art thou ?
tell me, I pray thee : is there
room in thy father's house
24 for us to lodge in ? And she
said unto him, I am the
daughter of Bethuel the son of
Milcah, which she bare unto
25 Nahor. She said moreover unto
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
him, We have both straw and
provender enough, and room to
26 lodge in. And the man bowed
down his head, and worshipped
27 Jehovah. And he said, Blessed
be Jehovah, the God of my
master Abraham, who hath not
bereft my master of his mercy
and his truth : as for me,
Jehovah led me in the way to
the house of my master's breth-
28 ren. And the damsel ran, and
told them of her mother's house
29 these things. And Kebekah had
a brother, and his name was
Laban : and Labau ran out unto
30 the man, unto the fountain. And
it came to pass, when he saw the
nose-ring, and the bracelets upon
his sister's hands, and when he
heard the words of Rebekah his
sister, saying. Thus spake the
man unto me ; that he came
unto the man ; and, behold, he
stood by the camels at the
31 fountain. And he said, Come
in, thou blessed of Jehovah;
wherefore standest thou with-
out ? for I have prepared the
house, and room for the camels.
32 And the man came into the
house : and he ungirded his
camels, and gave straw and
provender for the camels, and
water to wash his feet, and the
men's feet that were with him.
33 And there was set meat before
him to eat: but he said, I will
not eat, until I have told mine
errand. And he s-aid. Speak on.
34 And he said, I am Abraham's
35 servant. And Jchomh hath
blessed my master greatly ; and
he is become great : and he hath
given him liocks, and herds, and
silver, and gold, and menservants,
and handmaidens, and camels,
36 and asses. And Sarah my mas-
ter's wife bare a son to my
TEXT
J
master when she was old : and
unto him hath he given all that
37 he hath. And my master made
me swear, saying, Thou shalt
not take a wife to my son of
the daughters of the Canaanites,
38 in whose land I dwell : but
thou shalt go unto my father's
house, and to my kindred, and
39 take a wife unto my son. And
I said unto my master, Per-
adventure the woman will not
40 follow me. And he said unto
me, Jehovah, before whom I walk,
will send his angel with thee,
and prosper thy way : and thou
shalt take a wife for my son of
my kindred, and of my father's
41 house : then shalt thou be clear
from this my oath, when thou
comest to my kindred ; and if
they give her not to thee, thou
shalt be clear from my oath.
4-J And I came this day unto the
fountain, and said, 0 Jehovah,
the God of my master Abraham,
if now thou dost prosper my
43 way which I go : behold, I
stand by the fountain of water ;
and let it come to pass that
the virgin who cometh forth
to draw water, to whom I say,
Give me, I pray thee, a little
water of thy pitcher to drink ;
44 and she say to me. Both drink
thou, and I will also draw for
thy camels ; let the same be
the woman whom Jehovah hath
appointed for my master's son.
45 And before I had done speak-
ing in mine heart, behold, Re-
bekah came forth with her
pitcher on her shoulder ; and
she went down unto the foun-
tain, and drew : and I said unto
her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46 And she made haste, and let
down her pitcher from her
shoulder, and said. Drink, and
24 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
I will give thy camels drink
also : so I drank, and she made
47 the camels drink also. And I
asked her, and said, Whose
daughter art thou ? And she
said, The daughter of Bethuel,
Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare
unto him : and I put the nose-
ring upon her, and the bracelets
48 upon her hands. And I bowed
down my head, and worshipped
Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah, the
God of my master Abraham,
which had led me in tjie right
way to take my master's brother's
49 daughter unto his son. And
now if ye will shoiv mercy and
truth unto my master, tell me :
and if not, tell me ; that I may
turn to the right hand, or to the
50 left. Then Laban and Bethuel an-
swered and said, The thing pro-
ceedeth from Jehovah : we can-
not speak unto thee bad or good.
51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee,
take her, and go, and let her be
thy master's son's wife, as Jeho-
52 vah hath spoken. And it came
to pass, that, when Abraham's
servant heard their words, he
worshipped Jehovah, bowing him-
53 self to the earth. And the ser-
vant brought forth jewels of
silver, and jewels of gold, and
raiment, and gave them to Re-
bekah : he gave also to her
brother and to her mother pre-
54 cious things. And they did eat
and drink, he and the men that
were with him, and tarried all
night ; and they rose up in the
morning, and he said. Send me
55 away unto my master. And her
brother and her mother said,
Let the damsel abide with us a
few days, at the least ten ; after
5G that she shall go. And he said
unto them, Hinder me not,
seeing Jehovah hath prospered
TEXT
125
my way ; send me away that I
57 may go to my master. And
they said, We will call the
damsel, and inquire at her
58 mouth. And they called Re-
bekah, and said unto her. Wilt
thou go with this man ? And
59 she said, I will go. And they
sent away Eebekah their sister,
and her nurse, and Abraham's
60 servant, and his men. And they
blessed Eebekah, and said unto
her, Thou art our sister, become
thou thousands of ten thou-
sands, and let thy seed possess
the gate of those which hate
61 them. And Rebekah arose, and
her damsels, and they rode upon
the camels, and followed the
man : and the servant took Re-
62 bekah, and went his way. And
Isaac came from the way of
Beer-lahai-roi ; for he dwelt in
63 the land of the South. And
Isaac went out to meditate in
the field at the eventide : and
he lifted up his eyes, and saw,
and, behold, camels were com-
64 ing. And Rebekah lifted up
her eyes, and when she saw
Isaac, she lighted oif the camel,
65 And she said unto the servant,
What man is this that walketh
in the field to meet us? And
the servant said. It is my mas-
ter : therefore she took a veil,
66 and covered herself. And the
servant told Isaac all the things
67 that he had done. And Isaac
brought her into his mother
Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah,
and she became his wife ; and
he loved her : and Isaac was
comforted after his mother's
death.
25 And Abraham took another
wife, and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bare him Zimran, and
[26
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
25 7 And these are the days of the
years of Abraham's life which he
lived, a hundred threescore and
8 fifteen years. And Abraham ex-
pired, and died in a good old
age, an old man, and full of
years ; and was gathered to his
9 people. And his sons Isaac and
Ishmael buried him in the cave
of Machpelah, in the field of
Ephron the son of Zohar the
Hittite, which is before Mamre;
10 the field which Abraham bought
of the children of Heth : there
was Abraham buried, and Sarah
11 his wife. And it came to pass
after the death of Abraham, that
God blessed his son Isaac ; and
Isaac dwelt by Beer-lahai-roi.
12 Now these are the generations
of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom
Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's
handmaid, bare unto Abraham :
13 and these are the names of the
sons of Ishmael, by their names,
after their generations: the first-
Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian,
3 and Ishbak, and Shuah. And
Jokshan enrjendered Sheba, and
Dedan. And the sons of Dedan
were Asshurim, and Letushim,
4 and Leummim. And the sons
of Midian ; Ephah, and Epher,
and Hanoch, and Abida, and
Eldaah. All these were the
5 children of Keturah. And Abra-
ham gave all that he had unto
t) Isaac. But unto the sons of the
concubines, which Abraham had,
Abraham gave gifts, and sent
them away from Isaac his son,
while he yet lived, eastward,
unto the east country.
XXV. 7-17, 19-20, 26?> have the characteristic style of P (cf. 8 with vii. 21 ;
13 with X. 32 ; 19 with xi. 27), though 11/j may have been introduced from
JE (cf. xxii. 19, xxiv. C2). In ver. 20 Paddan Aram corresponds to the
Aram Naharaim of J (xxiv. 10).
TEXT
127
born of Ishmael, Nebaioth ; and
Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14 and Mishma, and Dumah, and
15 Massa, Hadad, and Tema, Jetur,
16 Naphish, and Kedemah : these
are the sons of Ishmael, and
these are their names, by their
villages, and by their camps ;
twelve princes according to their
17 tribes. And these are the years
of the life of Ishmael, a hun-
dred and thirty and seven years :
and he expired and died ; and
was gathered unto his people.
And these are the generations
of Isaac, Abraham's son : Abra-
ham begat Isaac : and Isaac
was forty years old when he took
Kebekah to wife, the daughter
of Bethnel the Aramean of
Paddan-aram, the sister to Laban
the Aramean.
18 And they dwelt from Havilah
unto Shur, that is before Egypt,
(IS thou goest toivard Assyria : he
settled in the presence of all
his brethren.
21 And Isaac intreated Jehovah for
his wife, because she was barren
and Jehovah was intreated of him
and Eebekah his wife conceived,
22 And the children struggled to
gether within her ; and she said
If it be so, what do I live for '
And she went to inquire of Jc
23 hovah. And Jehovah said unto
her. Two nations are in thy womb,
and two peoples shall be separ-
ated from thy bowels ; and the
one people shall be stronger than
the other people ; and the elder
24 shall serve the younger. And
when her days to be delivered
were completed, behold, there
25 were twins in her womb. And
XXV. 18 is assigned to J on the ground of its affinity with x. 19 and
xvi. 12.
XXV. 21-34 (except 266, see above) belongs mainly to J (see text).
128 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
the first came out ruddy, all over
like a hairy garment ; and they
26 called his name Esau. And
after that came his brother out,
and his hand took hold on Esau's
heel; and his name was called
Jacob.
266 And Isaac was threescore years
old when she bare them.
27 And the boys grew : and Esau
was a skilful hunter, a man of
the field ; and Jacob was a quiet
28 man, dwelling in tents. And
Isaac loved Esau because he did
eat of his venison : but Kebekah
29 loved Jacob. And Jacob sod
pottage : and Esau came from
the field, and he was faint :
30 and Esau said to Jacob, Feed
me, I pray thee, with that red
stuff ; for I am faint : therefore
31 was his name called Edom. And
Jacob said, Sell me first thy birth-
32 right. And Esau said, Behold,
I am at the point to die : and
what profit shall the birthright
33 do to me ? And Jacob said,
Swear to me first ; and he
sware unto him : and he sold his
34 birthright unto Jacob, Then
Jacob gave Esau bread and pot-
tage of lentils ; and he did eat
and drink, and rose up, and went
his way : thus Esau despised his
birthright.
26 And there was a famine in
the land, beside the first famine
that was in the days of Abra-
ham. And Isaac went unto
Abimelech king of the Philis-
2 tines unto Gerar. And Jehovah
appeared unto him, and said, Go
not down into Egypt ; dwell in
xxvi. 1-33 appears to belong chiefly to J, though the inconsistency
between vers. 2 and 3, and the resemblance between ver. 26 and xxi. 22
suggests that E has also been used. In ver. 5 there is considerable likeness
to the style of Deuteronomy [cf. Deut. vi. 1, xi. 1).
TEXT
JE
the land which I shall tell thee
3 of : sojourn in this land, and I
will be with thee, and will bless
thee ; for unto thee, and unto
thy seed, I will give all these
countries, and I will perform
the oath which I sware unto
4 Abraham thy father; and I
will make thy seed to multiply
as the stars of heaven, and will
give unto thy seed all these
countries ; and by thy seed shall
all the nations of the earth bless
5 themselves ; because Abraham
obeyed my voice, and kept my
charge, my commandments, my
6 statutes, and my laws. And
7 Isaac dwelt in Gerar : and the
men of the place asked him of
his wife; and he said. She is
my sister : for he feared to say,
She is my wife ; lest, said he,
the men of the place should kill
me for Rebekah ; because she
8 was fair to look upon. And it
came to pass, when he had been
there a long time, that Abime-
lech king of the Philistines
looked out at a lattice, and
saw, and, behold, Isaac was
playing with Rebekah his wife.
9 And Abimelech called Isaac,
and said. Behold, of a surety
she is thy wife : and how saidst
thou. She is my sister ? And
Isaac said unto him, Because I
10 said, Lest I die for her. And
Abimelech said. What is this
thou hast done unto us ? one of
the people might easily have
lain with thy wife, and thou
wouldest have brought guilti-
11 riess upon us. And Abimelech
charged all his people, saying.
He that toucheth this man or
his wife shall surely be put to
12 death. Then Isaac sowed in
that land, and received in the
same year a hundredfold : and
I
I30 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
13 Jehovah blessed him. And the
man waxed great, and went
on increasing, until he became
14 very great : for he had stock
of flocks, and stock of herds,
and great store of servants :
and the Philistines envied him.
15 And all the wells which his
father's servants had digged in
the daj'S of Abraham his father,
the Philistines had stopped
them, and filled them with
16 earth. And Abimelech said
unto Isaac, Go from us ; for
thou art much mightier than
17 we. And Isaac departed thence,
and pitched his tent in the val-
ley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18 And Isaac digged again the
wells of water, which they had
digged in the days of Abraham
his father; for the Philistines
had stopped them after the
death of Abraham : and he
called their names after the
names by which his father had
19 called them. And Isaac's ser-
vants digged in the valley, and
found there a well "^of spring-
20 ing water. And the herdmen
of Gerar strove with Isaac's
herdmen, saying, The water
is ours ; and he called the
name of the well Esek ; because
•21 they strove with him. And they
digged another well, and strove
for that also : and he called the
•2i name of it Sitnah. And he re-
moved from thence, and digged
another well ; and for that they
strove not : and he called the
name of it Eehoboth ; and he
said, For now Jehovnh hath made
room for us, and we shall be
23 fruitful in the land. And he
went up from thence to Beer-
24 sheba. And Jehovah appeared
unto him the same night, and
said, I am the God of Abr£
TEXT 131
P JE
thy father : fear not, for I am
with thee, and will bless thee,
and multiply thy seed for my
25 servant Abraham's sake. And
he builded an altar there, and
called upon the name of Jehovah,
and pitched his tent there : and
there Isaac's servants digged a
26 well. Then Abimelech went to
him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath
one of his friends, and Phichol
the chief captain of his host.
27 And Isaac said unto them, Where-
fore come ye to me, seeing ye
hate me, and have sent me away
28 from you 1 And they said, We
saw certainly that Jehovah was
with thee : and we said, Let
there be now an oath betwixt
us, even betwixt us and thee,
and let us enter into a covenant
29 with thee ; that thou wilt do
us no hurt, as we have not
touched thee, and as we have
done unto thee nothing but
good, and have sent thee away
in peace : thou art now the
30 blessed of Jehovah. And he
made them a feast, and they did
31 eat and drink. And they rose
up betimes in the morning, and
sware one to another : and Isaac
sent them away, and they de-
32 parted from him in peace. And
it came to pass the same day,
that Isaac's servants came, and
told him concerning the well
which they had digged, and
said unto him, We have found
33 water. And he called it Shibah :
therefore the name of the city
is Beer-sheba unto this day.
26 34 And Esau was forty years
old when he took to wife Judith
thedaughterof BeeritheHittite,
xxvi. 34-35 may be allotted to P from the resemblance in the style of
ver. 34 to xxv. 20, and the allusion to it in xxviii. 9 (P).
13'
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
and Basemath the daughter of
35 Elon the Hittite : who were a
bitterness of spirit unto Isaac
and to Rebekah.
JE
27 And it came to pass, that
when Isaac was old, and his
eyes were dim, so that he could
not see, he called Esau his elder
son, and said unto him. My son :
and he said unto him. Behold,
2 here am I. And he said, Behold
now, I am old, I know not the
3 day of my death : now there-
fore take, I pray thee, thy
weapons, thy quiver and thy
bow, and go out to the field,
and take me some venison ;
4 and make me savoury meat,
such as I love, and bring it to
me, that I may eat ; that my
soul may bless thee before I
5 die. And Rebekah heard when
Isaac spake to Esau his son.
And Esau went to the field to
hunt for venison, to bring it.
6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob
her son, saying, Behold, I heard
thy father speak unto Esau thy
7 brother, saying, Bring me veni-
son, and make me savoury meat,
that I may eat, and bless thee
before Jehovah before my death.
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my
voice according to that which I
9 command thee. Go now to the
flock, and fetch me from thence
two good kids of the goats ; and
I will make them savoury meat
for thy father, such as he lovetb :
10 and thou shalt bring it to thy
father, that he may eat, and that
he may bless thee before his
11 death. And Jacob said to Re-
xxvii. 1-45 is composed of extracts from two sources ; for there is a two-
fold blessing (ver. 23 and 27) a twofold outburst on the part of Esau (34 and
386), and a twofold warning to Jacob regarding his brother's anger (446
and 45«). The principal source is clearly J (see text) ; the other is pre-
sumably E. There is an "overlapping " of the two accounts in ver. 30.
TEXT 133
JE
bekah his mother, Behold, Esau
my brother is a hairy man, and I
12 am a smooth man : my father
peradventure will feel me, and I •
shall seem to him as a deceiver;
and I shall bring a curse upon
13 me, and not a blessing. And his
mother said unto him, Upon me
be thy curse, my son : only obey
my voice, and go fetch me them.
14 And he went, and fetched, and
brought them to his mother:
and his mother made savoury
meat, such as his father loved.
15 AndEebekahtookgoodlyraiment
of her elder son Esau, which
were with her in the house, and
put them upon Jacob her younger
16 son : and she put the skins of
the kids of the goats upon his
hands, and upon the smooth of
17 his neck: and she gave the
savoury meat and the bread,
which she had prepared, into the
18 hand of her son Jacob. And he
came unto his father, and said,
My father: and he said. Here
am I ; who art thou, my son ?
19 And Jacob said unto his father,
I am Esau thy firstborn ; I have
done according as thou badest
me : arise, I pray thee, sit and
eat of my venison, that thy soul
20 may bless me. And Isaac said
unto his son, How is it that thou
hast found it so quickly, my
son ? And he said, Because Je-
hovah thy God brought it to me.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come
near, I pray thee, that I may feel
thee, my son, whether thou be
22 my very son Esau or not. And
Jacob went near unto Isaac his
father ; and he felt him, and
said, The voice is Jacob's voice,
but the hands are the hands of
23 Esau. And he discerned him
not, because his hands were
hairy, as his brother Esau's
'34 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
24 hands : so he blessed him. And
he said, Art thou my very son
25 Esau ? And he said, I am. And
he said. Bring it near to me, and
I will eat of my son's venison,
that my soul may bless thee.
And he brought it near to him,
and he did eat : and he brought
26 him wine, and he drank. And
his father Isaac said unto him,
Come near now, and kiss me, my
27 son. And he came near, and
kissed him : and he smelled the
smell of his raiment, and blessed
him, and said. See, the smell of
my son is as the smell of a field
which JcJiovah hath blessed :
28 therefore God give thee of the
dew of lieaven, and the fatness
of the earth, and plenty of corn
29 and wine : let peoples serve
thee, and nations bow down to
thee : be lord over thy brethren,
and let thy mother's sons bow
down to thee : cursed be every
one that curseth thee, and bles-
sed be he that blesseth thee.
30 And it came to pass, as soon as
Isaac had made an end of bless-
ing Jacob, and it came to pass
that Jacob was yet scarce gone
out from the presence of Isaac
his father, that Esau his brother
31 came in from his hunting. And
he also made savoury meat, and
brought it unto his father, and
said unto his father. Let my
father arise, and eat of his son's
venison, that thy soul may bless
32 me. And Isaac his father said
unto him. Who art thou? And
he said, I am thy son, thy first-
33 bom Esau. And Isaac trembled
very exceedingly, and said. Who ?
where is he that hath taken
venison, and brought it me, and
I have eaten of all before thou
camest, and have blessed him ?
34 yea,and he shallbe blessed. And
TEXT
135
P JE
when Esau heard the words of his
father, he cried with a great and
exceeding bitter cry, and said
unto his father, Bless me, even
35 me also, 0 my father. And he
said, Thy brother came with
subtlety, and hath taken away
36 thy blessing. And he said. Is
it because he is named Jacob
that he hath over-reached me
these two times : he took away
my birthright ; and, behold,
now he hath taken away my
blessing. And he said. Hast
thou not reserved a blessing for
37 me ? And Isaac answered and
said unto Esau, Behold, I have
made him thy lord, and all his
brethren have I given to him for
servants ; and with corn and
wine have I sustained him : and
what shall I do now for thee,
38 my son ? And Esau said unto
his father, Hast thcu but one
blessing, my father? bless me,
even me also, 0 my father. And
Esau lifted up his voice and
39 wept. And Isaac his father
answered and said unto him,
Behold, thy dwelling shall be
far from the fatness of the earth,
and the dew of heaven from
40 above : and by thy sword sbalt
thou live, and shalt serve thy
brother ; and it shall come to
pass when thou shalt break
loose, that tJiou shalt shake
his yoke from oflt thy neck.
27 ifi And Eebekah said to Isaac, 41 And Esau hated Jacob because
I am weary of my life because of of the blessing wherewith his
the daughters of Heth : if Jacob father blessed him : and Esau
take a wife of the daughters said in his heart, The days of
of Heth, such as these, of the mourning for my father are at
daughters of the land, what hand ; then will I slay my bro-
good shall my life do me ? 42 ther Jacob. And the words
xxvii. 46-xxviii. 9 belongs to P. xxvii. 46 refers to xxvi. 34-35, and
gives a different motive for the departure of Jacob from his home from
that presented in xxvii. 41-45. For the phraseology of xxviii. 3 and 4 cf
chap, xvii., and for that of ver. 5 cf. xxv. 20.
136
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
28 And Isaac called Jacob, and
blessed him, and charged him,
and said unto him, Thou shalt
not take a wife of the daughters
'2 of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan-
aram, to the house of Betbuel
thy mother's father ; and take
thee a wife from thence of the
daughters of Laban thy mother's
3 brother. And God Almighty
bless thee, and make thee fruit-
ful, and multiply thee, that
thou mayest be an rssembly
4 of peoples : and give thee the
blessing of Abraham, to thee,
and to thy seed with thee ; that
thou mayest inherit the land of
thy sojournings, which God gave
5 unto Abraham. And Isaac sent
away Jacob : and he went to
Paddan-aram unto Laban, son
cjf Bethuel, the Aramean, the
brother of Eebekah, Jacob's
<5 and Esau's mother. When Esau
saw that Isaac had blessed
Jacob, and sent him away to
Paddan-aram, to take him a wife
from thence ; and that as he
blessed him he gave him a
charge, saying. Thou shalt not
take a wife of the daughters of
7 Canaan ; and that Jacob obeyed
his father and his mother, and.
8 was gone to Paddan-aram ; and
Esau saw that the daughters
of Canaan pleased not Isaac his
0 father ; then went Esau unto
Ishmael, and took unto the
wives which he had Mahalath
the daughter of Ishmael Abra-
ham's son, the sister of Neba-
ioth, to be his wife.
JE
of Esau her elder son were told
to Rebekah : and she sent and
called Jacob her younger son,
and said unto him. Behold, thy
brother Esau will get himself
satisfaction upon thee, by kill-
43 ing thee. Now therefore, my
son, obey my voice ; and arise,
flee thou to Laban my brother
44 to Haran ; and tarry with him
a few days, until thy brother's
45 fury turn away ; until thy bro-
ther's anger turn away from
thee, and he forget that which
thou hast done to him : then I
will send, and fetch thee from
thence : why should I be be-
reaved of you both in one day ?
28 10 And Jacob went out from
Beersheba, and went toward
xxviii. 10-22 exhibits both God and Jehovah ; and this, together with
the fact that 176 [this is the (jate of heaven) is the natural sequel to ver. 12,
points to the passage being a combination of two narratives, the first
TEXT 137
JE
11 Haran. And he lighted upon
a certain place, and tarried
there all night, because the sun
was set ; and he took of the
stones of that place, and put
one for his pillow, and lay
down in that place to sleep.
12 And he dreamed, and behold
a ladder set up on the earth,
and the top of it reached to
heaven : and behold the angels
of God ascending and descend-
13 ing on it. And, behold, Jehovah
stood by him, and said, I am
Jehovah, the God of Abraham
thy father, and the God of
Isaac : the land whereon thou
liest, to thee will I give it, and
1 4 to thy seed : and thy seed
shall be as the dust of the
earth, and thou shalt spread
abroad to the west, and to the
east, and to the north, and to
the south : and by thee and by
thy seed shall all the families
of the soU bless themselves.
15 And, behold, I am with thee,
and will keep thee in all places
whither thou goest, and will
bring thee again unto this soil ;
for I will not leave thee, until
I have done that which I have
16 spoken to thee of. And Jacob
awaked out of his sleep, and he
said. Surely Jehovah is in this
17 place ; and I knew it not. And
he was afraid, and said, How
dreadful is this place ! this is
none other but the house of God,
and this is the gate of heaven.
18 And Jacob rose up early in the
morning, and took the stone
that he had put for his pillow,
and set it up for a pillar, and
(Elohistic) describing the vision of the ladder, the second (Jehovistic)
being an account of Jehovah's appearing to Jacob. From E may come
11, 12 and the bulk of 17-22 ; from J, 13-16, and the words and Jehovah
will he my God in ver. 21.
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
poured oil upon the top of it.
19 And he called the name of that
place Beth-el : but the name
of that city was called Luz
20 at the first. And Jacob vowed
a vow, saying, If God will be
with me, and will keep me in
this way that I go, and will
give me bread to eat, and
21 raiment to put on, so that I
come again to my father's house
in peace, and JeJiovah will
22 be my God : then this stone,
which I have set up for a pillar,
shall be God's house : and of
all that thou shalt give me I
will surely give the tenth unto
thee.
29 Then Jacob went on his
journey, and came into the land
2 of the children of the east. And
he looked, and behold a well
in the field, and, lo, there were
three flocks of sheep couching
by it ; for out of that well they
watered the flocks : and the stone
upon the well's mouth was great.
•3 And thither were all the flocks
gathered : and they rolled the
stone from the well's mouth,
and watered the sheep, and put
the stone again upon the well's
4 mouth in its place. And Jacob
said unto them. My brethren,
whence are ye ? And they said,
5 Of Haran are we. And he said
unto them, Know ye Laban the
son of Nahor ? And they said,
6 We know him. And he said
unto them, Is he well 1 And
they said, He is well : and, be-
hold, Rachel his daughter cometh
7 with the sheep. And he said,
Lo, the day is still high, neither
Chap. xxix. appears from the mention of Jehovah towards its close (31
foil.) to belong to J ; but vers. 24 and 29, which interrupt passages which
should be closely connected, seem to be insertions — possibly from P.
TEXT 139
J
is it time that the cattle should
be gathered together : water ye
the sheep, and go and feed
8 them. And they said, We can-
not, until all the flocks be
gathered together, and till they
roll the stone from the well's
mouth ; then we water the
9 sheep. And while he yet spake .
with them, Rachel came with
her father's sheep : for she kept
10 them. And it came to pass,
when Jacob saw Rachel the
daughter of Laban his mother's
brother, and the sheep of Laban
bis mother's brother, that Jacob
went near, and rolled the stone
from the well's mouth, and
watered the flock of Laban his
11 mother's brother. And Jacob
kissed Rachel, and lifted up his
12 voice, and wept. And Jacob
told Rachel that he was her
father's brother, and that he
was Rebekah's son : and she
13 ran and told her father. And
it came to pass, when Laban
heard the tidings of Jacob his
sister's son, that he ran to meet
him, and embraced him, and
kissed him, and brought him to
his house. And he told Laban
14 all these things. And Laban
said to him. Surely thou art my
bone and my flesh. And he
abode with him the space of
15 a full month. And Laban said
unto Jacob, Because thou art
my brother, shouldest thou
therefore serve me for nought ?
tell me, what shall thy wages
16 be? And Laban had two
daughters : the name of the
elder was Leah, and the name
of the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah was weak-eyed ; but Ra-
chel was beautiful and well
IS favoured. And Jacob loved
Rachel; and said, I will serve
I40 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
thee seven years for Rachel thy
19 younger daughter. And Laban
said, It is better that I give her
to thee, than that I should give
her to another man : abide with
20 me. And Jacob served seven
years for Rachel ; and they
seemed unto him but a few
days, for the love he had to
21 her. And Jacob said unto
Laban, Give me my wife, for
my days are completed, that I
22 may go in unto her. And La-
ban gathered together all the
men of the place, and made a
23 feast. And it came to pass in
the evening, that he took Leah
his daughter, and brought her
to him : and he went in unto
24 her. And Laban gave unto his
daughter Leah Zilpah his hand-
25 maid for a handmaid. And it
came to pass, that in the morn-
ing, behold, it was Leah : and he
said to Laban, What is this thou
hast done unto nie ? did not I
serve with thee for Rachel ?
wherefore then hast thou be-
26 guiled me ? And Laban said. It
must not be so done in our
country, to give the younger be-
27 fore the firstborn. Complete her
week, and we will give thee this
one also for the service which
thou shalt serve with me yet seven
28 other years. And Jacob did so,
and completed her week : and he
gave him Rachel his daughter
29 to wife also. And Laban gave
to Rachel his daughter Bilhah
his handmaid to be her hand-
30 maid. And he went in also un-
to Rachel, and he loved also
Rachel more than Leah, and
served with him yet seven other
31 years. And when Jihov<th saw
that Leah was hated, he opened
her womb : but Rachel was
32 barren. And Leah conceived.
TEXT 141
P JE
atid hare a son, and she called
his name Reuben : for she said,
Surely Jehovah hath looked upon
my affliction ; now therefore my
33 husband will love me. And she
conceived again, and hare a son ;
and said, Surely Jehovah hath
heard that I was hated, he hath
therefore given me this son also:
and she called his name Simeon.
34 And she conceived afjain, and bare
a son ; and said, Now this time
will my husband be joined unto
me, because I have borne him
three sons: therefore was his
35 name called Levi. And she con-
ceived again, and hare a son : and
she said. Now will I praise Jeho-
vah ; therefore she called his
nameJudah; and ceased bearing.
30 And when Kachel saw that
she bare Jacob no children,
Rachel envied her sister ; and
said unto Jacob, Give me chil-
2 dren, or else I die. And Jacob's
anger was kindled against Ra-
chel : and he said, Am I in
God's stead, who hath withheld
from thee the fruit of the
3 womb ? And she said, Behold
my maidservant Bilhah, go in
unto her ; and she shall bear
upon my knees, that I also may
4 have children by her. And she
gave him Bilhah her handmaid
to wife : and Jacob went in
5 unto her. And Bilhah con-
6 ceived, and bare Jacob a son.
And Rachel said, God hath
judged for me, and hath also
heard my voice, and hath given
XXX. 1-24 is of composite authorship (JE). The Divine name which is
most frequently used is God ; but Jehovah appears in ver. 24, a verse which,
moreover, contains an etymology of the name Joseph differing from that
given in ver. 23. There is also a double etymology of Zehulun in ver. 20 ;
whilst a twofold application of the word hire likewise occurs in connection
with the name Issachar in vers. 16 and 18. xxx. 22« is perhaps from P ;
cf. xix. 29.
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
me a son : and she called his
7 name Dan. And Bilhah Ra-
chel's handmaid conceived again,
and bare Jacob a second son.
8 And Rachel said, With mighty
wrestlings have I wrestled with
my sister, and I have prevailed :
and she called his name Naph-
9 tali. When Leah saw that she
had ceased bearing, she took Zil-
jjah her handmaid, and gave her
10 Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah's
handmaid bare Jacob a son.
11 And Leah said, I am fortunate !
and she called his name Gad.
12 And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bare
13 Jacob a second son. And Leah
said, Happy am I, for the daugh-
ters will call me happy : and
14 she called his name Asher. And
Reuben went in the days of
wheat harvest, and found love-
apples in the field, and brought
them unto his mother Leah.
Then Rachel said to Leah, Give
me, I pray thee, of thy son's
15 love-apples. And she said unto
her, Is it a small matter that
thou hast taken my husband?
and wouldest thou take away
my son's love-apples also ? And
Rachel said, Therefore he shall
lie with thee to-night for thy
16 son's love-apples. And Jacob
came out of the field in the
evening, and Leah went out to
meet him, and said, Thou must
come in unto me ; for surely I
have hired thee with my son's
love-apples. And he lay with
17 her that night. And God hear-
kened unto Leah, and she con-
ceived, and bare Jacob a fifth
18 son. And Leah said, God hath
given me my hire, because I
have given my handmaid to
my husband : and she called
19 his name Issachar. And Leah
conceived, and bare Jacob a
TEXT
J43
P JE
20 sixth son. And Leah said, God
hath endowed me with a good
dowry ; now will my husband
dwell with me, because I have
' borne him six sons : and she
21 called his name Zebulun, And
afterwards she bare a daughter,
and called her name Dinah.
22 And God remembered Rachel,
and God hearkened to her, and
23 opened her womb. And she
conceived, and hare a son ; and
said, God hath taken away my
24 reproach : and she called his
name Joseph ; and said, Jehovah
25 add to me another son ! And it
came to pass, when Rachel had
borne Joseph, that Jacob said
unto Laban, Send me away,
that I may go unto mine own
26 place, and to my country. Give
me my wives and my children,
for whom I have served thee,
and let me go : for thou know-
est my service with which I
27 have served thee. And Laban
said unto him, I pray thee, if
I have found grace in thine
eyes, tarry : for I have divined
that the Lord hath blessed me
28 for thy sake. And he said, Ap-
point me thy wages, and I will
29 give it. And he said unto him,
Thou knowest how I have served
thee, and what thy cattle has
30 become with me. For it was
little which thou hadst before
I came, and it is increased unto
a multitude ; and Jehovah hath
blessed thee wherever I went :
and now when shall I provide
31 for mine own house also ? And
he said, What shall I give thee ?
And Jacob said. Thou sbalt not
XXX. 25-xxxi. 44 (with the exception of xxxi. 18i ; see below) is a com-
pilation of J and E ; but there is little save the Divine names to distinguish
their respective contrilmtions. In xxx. 40 there seems to be a good deal
of confusion [cf. note ad loc. ),
144 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
give me any thing : if thou wilt
do this thing for me, I will
again feed and keep thy flock.
32 I will pass through all thy flock
to day, removing from thence
all the speckled and spotted,
and all the black among the
sheep, and the spotted and
speckled among the goats : and
33 such shall be my hire. So shall
my righteousness testify against
me before thee in time to come,
when thou slialt come concern-
ing my wages : every one that is
not speckled or spotted among
the goats, or black among the
sheep, that shall be counted
34 stolen if with me. And Laban
said, Behold, I would it might
35 be according to thy word. And
he removed that day the he-
goats that were striped and
spotted, and all the she-goats
that were speckled and spotted,
and every one that had some
white in it, and all the black
among the sheep, and gave
them into the hand of "his sons.
36 And he set three days' journey
betwixt himself and Jacob : and
Jacob fed the rest of Laban's
37 flocks. And Jacob took him
rods of fresh poplar, and of the
almond and plane tree ; and
peeled white stripes in them,
and made the white appear
38 which was in the rods. And
he set the rods which he had
peeled before the flocks in the
gutters in the watering troughs
when the flocks came to drink,
and they mated when they
39 came to drink. And the flocks
mated before the rods, and
brought forth striped, speckled,
40 and spotted. And Jacob di-
vided the lambs, and set the
faces of the flocks toward the
striped, and all the black in
TEXT 145
JE
the flock of Laban ; and he set
flocks for himself apart, and
put them not unto Laban's
41 flock. And it came to pass,
whensoever the stronger mated,
that Jacob laid the rods before
the eyes of the flock in the
gutters, that they might mate
42 among the rods. But when the
flock were feeble, he put them
not in : so the feebler were
Laban's, and the stronger Ja-
43 cob's. And the man increased
exceedingly, and had large flocks,
and handmaidens, and men-
servants, and camels, and asses.
31 And he heard the words of
Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath
taken away all that was our
father's ; and of that which was
our father's hath he gotten all
2 this wealth. And Jacob beheld
the countenance of Laban, and,
behold, it was not toward him as
3 before. And Jehovah said unto
Jacob, Return unto the land of
thy fathers, and to thy kindred ;
4 and I will be with thee. And
Jacob sent and called Eachel
and Leah to the field unto
5 his flock, and said unto them,
I see your father's countenance,
that it is not toward me as be-
fore ; but the God of my father
6 hath been with me. And ye
know that with all my power I
7 have served your father. And
your father hath deceived me,
and changed my wages ten
times ; but God suffered him
8 not to hurt me. If he said thus,
The speckled shall be thy wages ;
then all the cattle bare speckled :
and if he said thus. The striped
shall be thy wages ; then bare all
9 the cattle striped. Thus God
hath taken away the cattle of
your father, and given them to
K
146
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
31 . ....
186 And all his substance which he
had gathered, the cattle of his
getting, which he had gathered
in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac
his father in the land of Canaan.
JE
10 me. And it came to pass at the
time that the flocks mated, that
I lifted up mine eyes, and saw
in a dream, and, behold, the he-
goats which leaped upon the
flock were striped, speckled, and
11 dappled. And the angel of God
spake unto me in a dream, say-
ing, Jacob : and I said. Here
12 am I. And he said, Lift up
now thine eyes, and see, all the
he-goats which leap upon the
flock are striped, speckled, and
dappled : for I have seen all
13 that Laban doeth unto thee. I
am the God of Beth-el, where
thou anointedst the pillar, and
where thou vowedst a vow unto
me : now arise, get thee out
from this land, and return unto
14 the land of thy kindred. And
Rachel and Leah answered and
said unto him, Is there yet any
portion or inheritance for us in
15 our father's house ? Are we not
counted by him strangers ? for
he hath sold us, and hath also
quite devoured the money paid
16 for us. For all the riches which
God hath taken from our father,
that is ours, and our children's ;
now then, whatsoever God hath
17 said unto thee, do. Then Jacob
rose up, and set his sons and his
18 wives upon camels ; and he car-
ried away all his cattle.
19 And Laban had gone to shear
his sheep : and Rachel stole
the teraphim that were her
20 father's. And Jacob stole away
unawares to Laban the Ara-
xxxi. I8h has the phraseology of P.
TEXT 147
JE
mean, in that he told him not
21 that he fled. So he fled with all
that he had : and he rose up, and
passed over the River, and set
his face toward the mountain of
22 Gilead. And it was told Laban
on the third day that Jacob was
23 fled. And he took his brethren
with him, and pursued after him
seven days' journey ; and they
overtook him in the mountain of
24 Gilead. And God came to La-
ban the Aramean in a dream by
night, and said unto him, Take
heed that thou speak not to
25 Jacob either good or bad. And
Laban overtook Jacob. Now
Jacob had pitched his tent in the
mountain, and Laban with his
brethren pitched in the mountain
26 of Gilead. And Laban said to
Jacob, What hast thou done,
that thou hast stoleu away un-
awares to me, and carried away
my daughters, as captives of the
27 sword? Wherefore didst thou
flee away secretly, and steal
away from me ; and didst not
tell me, that I might have sent
thee away with mirth, and with
songs, with tabret, and with
28 harp? and hast not suffered
me to kiss my sons and my
daughters ? now thou hast done
29 foolishly. It is in the power of
my hand to do you hurt : but
the God of your father spake
unto me yesternight, saying,
Take heed that thou speak not
to Jacob either good or bad,
30 And now, though thou wouldest
needs be gone, because thou
sore longedst after thy father's
house, yet wherefore hast thou
31 stolen my gods ? And Jacob
answered and said to Laban,
Because I was afraid : for I
said, Lest thou shouldest take
by force thy daughters from me.
148 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
32 With whomsoever thou findest
thy gods, let him not live : be-
fore our brethren discern thou
what is thine with me, and take
it to thee. For Jacob knew not
that Kachel had stolen them.
33 And Laban went into Jacob's
tent, and into Leah's tent, and
into the tents of the two maid-
servants ; but he found them not.
Then went he out of Leah's tent,
and entered into Kachel's tent.
34 Now Rachel had taken the
teraphim, and put them in the
camel's saddle, and sat upon
them. And Laban searched all
the tent, but found them not.
35 And she said to her father. Let
it not displease my lord that
I cannot rise up before thee;
for the manner of women is
upon me. And he searched,
but found not the teraphim.
36 And Jacob was angry, and
chode with Laban : and Jacob
answered and said to Laban,
What is my trespass ? what is
my sin, that thou hast so hotly
37 pursued after me ? Whereas
thou hast searched all my stuff,
what hast thou found of all thy
household stuff ? set it here be-
fore my brethren and thy breth-
ren, that they may judge betwixt
38 us both. This twenty years
have I been with thee ; thy
ewes and thy she-goats have not
cast their young, and the rams
of thy flock have I not eaten.
39 That which was torn of beasts I
brought not unto thee ; I bare
the loss of it ; of my hand didst
thou require it, whether stolen
by day, or stolen by night.
40 Thus I was ; in the day the
drought consumed me, and the
frost by night ; and my sleep
41 departed from mine eyes. Thus
have I been twenty years in thy
TEXT 149
JE
house ; I served thee fourteen
years for thy two daughters, and
six years for thy flock : and
thou hast changed my wages
42 ten times. Except the God of
my father, the God of Abraham,
and the Fear of Isaac, had been
with me, surely now thou hadst
sent me away empty. God hath
seen mine afHiction and the la-
bour of my hands, and rebuked
43 thee yesternight. And Laban
answered and said unto Jacob,
These daughters are my daugh-
ters, and these children are my
children, and these flocks are
my flocks, and all that thou
seest is mine : and what can I
do this day unto these my daugh-
ters, or unto their children which
44 they have borne ? Now therefore
come thou, let us enter into a cove-
nant, I and thou ; and let it be for
a witness between me and thee.
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set
46 it up for a pillar. And Jacob
said unto his brethren, Gather
stones ; and they took stones,
and made a heap : and they
did eat there upon the heap.
47 And Laban called it Jegar-saha-
dutha: but Jacob called it
48 Galeed. And Laban said. This
heap is a witness between me
and thee this day. Therefore
was the name of it called Galeed :
49 and Mizpah ; for he said Je-
hovah watch between me and
thee, when we are absent one
50 from another. If thou shalt
afflict my daughters, or if thou
shalt take other wives beside
xxxi. 45-55 shows other traces, besides the names Jehovah and God, of
having been put together from more than one source, e.g., (i.) the twofold
agreement (50 and 52) ; (ii.) the twofold witness, the pillar (45) and the
heap (46) ; (iii.) the twofold feasting (46 and 54). But the two accounts
have been inextricably fused together by the compiler (especially in 51,
52), who has also introduced the words the God of their father (53) : the
LXX. omits them.
I50 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
P JE
my daughters, no man is with
us ; see, God is witness be-
51 twixt me and thee. And Laban
said to Jacob, Behold this heap,
and behold the pillar, which I
have set betwixt me and thee ;
52 this heap be witness, and the
pillar be witness, that I will not
pass over this heap to thee, and
that thou shalt not pass over this
heap and this pillar unto me, for
53 harm. The God of Abraham, and
the God of Nahor, the God of their
father, judge betwixt us. And
Jacob sware by the Fear of his
54 father Isaac. Then Jacob offered
sacrifice upon the mountain, and
called his brethren to eat bread :
and they did eat bread, and
tarried all night in the moun-
55 tain. And early in the morn-
ing Laban rose up, and kissed his
sons and his daughters and bles-
sed them : and Laban departed,
and returned unto his place.
32 And Jacob went on his way,
and the angels of God met him.
2 And when Jacob saw them, he
said, This is God's company :
and he called the name of that
3 place Mahanaim. And Jacob
sent messengers before him to
Esau his brother unto the land
of Seir,' the field of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying.
Thus shall ye speak unto my
lord Esau : Thy servant Jacob
saith thus, I have sojourned with
Laban, and stayed there until
5 now : and I have oxen, and
asses, flocks, and menservants,
and handmaidens : and I have
sent to tell my lord, that I may
6 find grace in thy sight. And the
messengers returned to Jacob,
xxxii. 1-xxxiii. 17 is similarly compiled from J and E ; but the analysis
is difficult.
TEXT 151
JE
saying, We came to thy brother
Esau, and also he cometh to meet
thee, and four hundred men with
7 him. Then Jacob was greatly
afraid and distressed : and he
divided the people that was with
him, and the flocks, and herds,
and the camels, into two com-
8 panies. And said, If Esau come
to the one company, and smite
it, then the other company which
9 is left shall escape. And Jacob
said, 0 God of my father Abra-
ham, and God of my father Isaac,
0 Jehovah which saidst unto me,
Return unto thy country, and to
thy kindred, and I will deal well
1 0 with thee : I am not worthy of
the least of all the mercies, and
of all the truth, which thou hast
showed unto thy servant ; for
with my staff I passed over this
Jordan ; and now I am become
11 two companies. Deliver me, I
pray thee, from the hand of my
brother, from the hand of Esau :
for I fear him, lest he will come
and smite me, the mother with
12 the children. And thou saidst,
1 will surely deal well with thee,
and make thy seed as the sand
of the sea, which cannot be
13 numbered for multitude. And
he lodged there that night ; and
took of that which had come
into his hand a present for Esau
14 his brother ; two hundred she-
goats, and twenty he-goats, two
hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15 thirty milch camels with their
colts, forty kine, and ten bulls,
twenty she-asses, and ten foals.
16 And he delivered them into
the hand of his servants, every
drove by itself ; and said unto
his servants. Pass over before
me, and put a space betwixt
17 drove and drove. And he com-
manded the foremost, saying.
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
When Esau my brother meeteth
thee, and asketh thee, saying,
Whose art thou ? and whither
goest thou ? and whose are these
18 before thee ? then thou shalt
say, They be thy servant Jacob's ;
it is a present sent unto my
lord Esau : and, behold, he also
19 is behind us. And so com-
manded he the second, and the
third, and all that followed the
droves, saying, After this manner
shall ye speak unto Esau, when
20 ye find him. And say ye.
Moreover, behold, thy servant
Jacob is behind us. For he said
I will appease him with the pre-
sent that goeth before me, and
afterward I will see his face ;
peradventure he will accept me.
21 So the present went over be-
fore him : and he himself lodged
that night in the company.
22 And he rose up that night, and
took his two wives, and his two
menservants, and his eleven
sons, and passed over "the ford
23 of Jabbok. And he took them,
and sent them over the stream,
and sent over what he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone ; and
there wrestled a man with him
until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he pre-
vailed not against him, he
touched the socket of his thigh ;
and the socket of Jacob's thigh
was strained, as he wrestled with
26 him. And he said. Let me go,
for the day breaketh. And he
said, I will not let thee go, except
27 thou bless me. And he said
unto him. What is thy name?
28 And he said, Jacob. And he
said. Thy name shall be called
no more Jacob, but Israel : for
thou hast striven with God and
with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said,
TEXT 153
JE
Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.
And he said, Wherefore dost
thou ask after my name ? And
30 he blessed him there. And
Jacob called the name of the
31 place Peniel ; for, he said, I have
seen God face to face, and my life
is preserved. And as he passed
over Penuel the sun rose upon
him, and he halted upon his
32 thigh. Therefore the children
of Israel eat not of the sinew of
the hip, which is upon the socket
of the thigh, unto this day : be-
cause he touched the socket of
Jacob's thigh in the sinew of
the hip.
33 And Jacob lifted up his eyes,
and looked, and, behold, Esau
came, and with him four hun-
dred men. And he divided the
children unto Leah, and unto
Eachel, and unto the two hand-
2 maids. And he put the hand-
maids and their children fore-
most, and Leah and her children
after, and Rachel and Joseph
3 hindermost. And he passed
over before them, and bowed
himself to the ground seven
times, until he came near to his
4 brother. And Esau ran to meet
him, and embraced him, and
fell on his neck, and kissed him :
5 and they wept. And he lifted
up his eyes, and saw the women
and the children ; and said. Who
are those with thee? And he
said, The children which God
hath graciously given thy ser-
6 vant. Then the handmaidens
came near, they and their chil-
dren, and they bowed themselves.
7 And Leah also with her children
came near, and bowed them-
selves : and after came Joseph
near and Rachel, and they bowed
8 themselves. And he said. What
154 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
33 18 And Jacob came to Shalem,
a city of Shechem, which is in
JE
meanest thou by all this company
which I met ? And he said,
These are to find grace in the
9 sight of my lord. And Esau
said, I have enough ; my brother,
keep what thou hast unto thy-
10 self. And Jacob said, Nay, I
pray thee, if now I have found
grace in thy sight, then receive
my present at my hand : because
I have seen thy face, as though
I had seen the face of God, and
thou wast pleased with me.
11 Take, I pray thee, my present
that is brought to thee ; because
God hath dealt graciously with
me, and because I have enough.
And he urged him, and he took
12 it. And he said, Let us take
our journey, and let us go, and
13 I will go before thee. And he
said unto him, My lord knoweth
that the children are tender,
and the flocks and herds with
me give suck : and if men should
overdrive them one day, all the
14 flocks will die. Let my lord, I
pray thee, pass over before his
servant : and I will lead on
softly, according to the pace of
the cattle that goeth before me
and the children, until I come
15 unto my lord to Seir. And
Esau said, Let me now leave
with thee some of the folk that
are with me. And he said,
What needeth it? let me find
grace in the sight of my lord.
16 So Esau returned that day on
17 his way unto Seir. And Jacob
journeyed to Succoth, and built
him a house, and made booths
for his cattle : therefore the name
of the place is called Succoth.
xxxiii. 18-xxxiv. 31 contains a narrative which appears to be composite
Irom the fact that in some parts Hamor proposes a general marriage
TEXT
155
the land of Canaan, when
came from Paddan-aram.
he
And pitched his tent before
19 the city. And he bought the
parcel of the field, where he had
spread his tent, at the hand of
the children of Hamor, She-
chem's father, for a hundred
20 pieces of money. And he erected
there an altar, and called it
El-elohe-Israel.
34 And Dinah the daughter of
Leah, which she bare unto Jacob,
went out to see the daughters
2 of the land. And Shechem the
son of Hamor the Hivite, prince
4 of the country, saw her, and
Shechem spake unto his father
Hamor, saying, Get me this
damsel to wife.
And Hamor the father of She-
chem went out unto Jacob to
commune with him. And Ha-
mor communed with them,
saying. The soul of my son
Shechem longeth for your
daughter: I pray you give her
34 He took her, and lay with her,
3 and humbled her. And his soul
clave unto Dinah the daughter
of Jacob, and he loved the
damsel, and spake kindly unto
5 the damsel. And Jacob heard
that he had defiled Dinah his
daughter : and his sons were
with his cattle in the field : and
Jacob held his peace until they
7 were come. And the sons of
Jacob came out of the field
when they heard it : and the
men were pained, and they were
very angry, because he had
wrought folly in Israel in lying
with Jacob's daughter ; which
thing ought not to be done.
11 And Shechem said unto her
father and unto her brethren,
Let me find grace in your eyes,
and what ye shall say unto me
12 I will give. Ask me never so
great a price or gift, and I will
give according as ye shall say
alliance, whilst in others Shechem pleads his own cause in person. If this
is the case, one of the component elements is probably P (see text, and
cf. xxxiv. 15&, 226 with xvii. 10 ; ver. 24 with xsiii. 10, 18), whilst the other
seems to be J (cf. the clave unto of ver. 3 with ii. 24, and the pained of ver.
7 with vi. 6), but the fusion defies certain analysis. On the assumption
that it is given correctly above, xxxiv. 136, 276 must be due to the editor.
^56
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
9 him to wife. And make ye
marriages with us, and give
your daughters unto us, and
take our daughters unto you.
10 And ye shall dwell with us : and
the laud shall be before you ;
dwell and trade ye therein, and
get you possessions therein.
13 And the sons of Jacob answered
Shechem and Hamor his father
with guile, and spake, because he
had defiled Dinah their sister :
14 and they said unto them, We
cannot do this thing, to give
our sister to one that is uncir-
cumcised ; for that were a re-
15 proach unto us : only on this
condition will we consent unto
you : if ye will be as we be,
that every male of you be cir-
16 cumcised ; then will we give our
daughters unto you, and we will
take your daugliters to us, and
we will dwell with you, and we
17 will become one people. But
if ye will not hearken unto us,
to be circumcised ; then will we
take our daughter, and we will
18 be gone. And their words
pleased Hamor, and Shechem
Hamor's son.
unto me : but give me the
damsel to wife.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his
son came unto the gate of their
city, and communed with the
21 men of their city, saying, These
men are peaceable with us :
therefore let them dwell in the
land, and trade therein ; for the
land, behold, it is large enough
for them ; let us take their
daughters to us for wives, and
let us give them our daughters.
22 Only on this condition will the
19 And the young man deferred
not to do the thing, because he
had delight in Jacob's daughter :
and he was more honoured than
all the house of his father.
TEXT
157
men consent unto us to dwell
with us, to be one people, if
every male among us be cir-
cumcised, as they are circum-
23 cised. Shall not their stock
and their gettings and all their
cattle be ours ? only let us
consent unto them, and they
24 will dwell with us. And unto
Hamor and unto Shechem his
son hearkened all that went out
of the gate of his city ; and
every male was circumcised, all
that went out of the gate of
25 his city. And it came to pass
on the third day, when they
were sore, that two of the sons
of Jacob, Simeon and Levi,
Dinah's brethren, took each
man his sword, and came upon
the city unawares, and slew all
the males.
27 The sons of Jacob came upon
the slain, and spoiled the city,
because they had defiled their
28 sister. They took their sheep,
and their oxen, and their asses,
and that which was in the city,
and that which was in the field,
29 and all their wealth, and all
their little ones, and their wives
took they captive, and spoiled
even all that was in the house.
26 And they slew Hamor and She-
chem his son with the edge of
the sword, and took Dinah out
of Shechem's house, and went out.
30 And Jacob said to Simeon and
Levi, Ye have troubled me to
make me to stink among the
inhabitants of the land, among
the Canaanites and the Periz-
zites : and I being few in
number, they shall gather them-
selves together against me, and
slay me ; and I shall be de-
31 stroyed, I and my house. And
they said. Should he deal with
our sister as with a harlot ?
158 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
35 9 And God appeared unto
Jacob again, when he came out
JE
35 And God said unto Jacob,
Arise, go up to Beth-el, and
dwell there : and make there
an altar unto God, that appeared
unto thee when thou fieddest
from the face of Esau thy
2 brother. Then Jacob said unto
his household, and to all that
were with him. Put away the
strange gods that are among you,
and purify yourselves, and change
3 your garments : and let us arise,
and go up to Beth-el ; and I
will make there an altar unto
God, who answered me in the
day of my distress, and was
with me in the way which I
4 went. And they gave unto
Jacob all the strange gods which
were in their hand, and all their
earrings which were in their
ears ; and Jacob hid them under
the terebinth which was by
5 Shechem. And they journeyed:
and a mighty terror was upon
the cities that were round about
them, and they did not pursue
6 after the sons of Jacob. So
Jacob came to Luz, which is
in the land of Canaan (the same
is Beth -el), he and all the
people that were with him.
7 And he built there an altar, and
called the place El-beth-el ; be-
cause there God revealed him-
self unto him, when he iied
from the face of his brother.
8 And Deborah Rebekah's nurse
died, and she was buried be-
low Beth-el under the oak :
and the name of it was called
AUon-bachuth.
XXXV. 1-8 seems to be composite in texture. Vers, 1-4, 7-8 probably
belong to E (the allusion in 1 is to xxviii. 12) ; but vers. 5 and 6 appear
to follow immediately on xxxiv. 31, and are best assigned to J.
xxxv. 9-13, 15 have the marks of P, and give a different account of the
TEXT
59
JE
of Paddan-aram, and blessed
10 him. And God said unto him,
Thy name is Jacob : thy name
shall not be called any more
Jacob, but Israel shall be thy
name : and he called his name
1 1 Israel. And God said unto him,
I am God Almighty : be fruitful
and multiply ; a nation and an
assembly of nations shall be of
thee, and kings shall come out
12 of thy loins ; and the land
which I gave Abraham and
Isaac, to thee I will give it,
and to thy seed after thee will
13 I give the land. And God went
up from him in the place where
he talked with him.
15 And Jacob called the name of
the place where God spake with
him, Beth-el.
14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the
place where he talked with him,
even a pillar of stone : and he
poured a drink offering thereon,
and he poured oil thereon.
16 And they journeyed from Beth-
el ; and there was still a little
way to come to Ephrath : and
Rachel travailed, and she had
17 hard labour. And it came to
pass, when she was in hard
labour, that the midwife said
unto her, Fear not ; thou shalt
18 have this son also. And it
came to pass, as her soul was
in departing, (for she died) that
she called his name Ben-oni :
but his father called him Ben-
19 jamin. And Rachel died, and
was buried in the way to Eph-
20 rath (which is Bethlehem). And
origin of the names Israel and Bethel from that contained in JE (xxxii.
28-30, xxviii. 19). The word again in ver. 9 is perhaps due to the
compiler.
XXXV. 14, 16-22a are presumably JE (ver. 17 alludes to xxx. 22-24) ; but
the analysis is very doubtful.
i6o
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
226 Now the sons of Jacob were
23 twelve : the sons of Leah ;
Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and
Simeon, and Levi, and Judah,
24 and Issachar, and Zebulun : the
sons of Rachel ; Joseph, and
25 Benjamin : and the sons of Bil-
hah, Rachel's handmaid ; Dan,
26 and Naphtali : and the sons of
Zilpah, Leah's handmaid ; Gad,
and Asher : these are the sons of
Jacob, which were born to him
27 in Paddan-aram. And Jacob
came unto Isaac his father
unto Mamre, unto Kiriath-Arba
(which is Hebron), where Abra-
28 ham and Isaac sojourned. And
the days of Isaac were a hun-
29 dred and fourscore years. And
Isaac expired, and died, and
was gathered unto his people,
being old and full of days : and
his sons Esau and Jacob buried
him.
36 Now these are the generations
2 of Esau, who is Edom. Esau
took his wives of the daughters
of Canaan : Adah the daughter
of Elon the Hittite, and Oholi-
bamah the daughter of Anah
the daughter of Zibeon the Hi-
JE
Jacob set up a pillar upon her
grave : that is the Pillar of
Rachel's grave unto this day.
21 And Israel journeyed, and spread
his tent beyond the tower of
22 Eder. And it came to pass,
while Israel dwelt in that land,
that Reuben went and lay with
Bilhah his father's concubine :
and Israel heard of it.
XXXV. 226-xxxvi. 43 is in the style of P (see text) ; but there are internal
inconsistencies (c/. xxxvi. 2 with 20, 24), and discrepancies between this
and other sections of P (contrast 2b-5a with xxvi. 34 and xxviii. 9), which
point to the use (perhaps by the compiler) of a different source. The
expansions, by insertions, of an originally brief section is indicated by the
repetition in ver. 9 of ver. 1 .
TEXT i6i
P J£
3 vite; and Basemath Ishmael's
daughter, sister of Nebaioth.
4 And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz ;
5 and Basemath bare Reuel ; and
Oholibaraah bare Jeush, and Ja-
1am, and Korah : these are the
sons of Esan, which were born
unto him in the land of Canaan.
6 And Esati took his wives, and his
sons, and his daughters, and all
the persons of his house, and his
stock, and all his cattle, and
all his gettings which he had
gathered in the land of Canaan,
and went into the land . . .
away from the face of his brother
7 Jacob. For their substance was
too great for them to dwell to-
gether ; and the land of their
sojournings could not bear them
8 because of their cattle. Thus
dwelt E-au in mount Seir : Esau
9 is Edom. And these are the
generations of Esau the father
of the Edomites in mount Seir :
10 these are the names of Esau's
sons ; Eliphaz the son of Adah
the wife of Esau, Reuel the son
of Basemath the wife of Esau.
11 And the sons of Eliphaz were
Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam,
12 and Kenaz. And Timna was
concubine to Eliphaz Esau's
son ; and she bare to Eliphaz
Amalek : these were the sons of
13 Adah Esau's wife. And these
are the sons of Reuel ; Nahath,
and Zerah, Shammah, and Miz-
zah : these were the sons of
14 Basemath Esau's wife. And
these were the sons of Oholi-
bamah, the daughter of Anah
the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's
wife : and she bare to Esau
Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah.
15 These are the chiefs of the sons
of Esau : the sons of Eliphaz the
firstborn son of Esau ; chief
Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho,
i62 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
P
10 chief Kenaz, chief Korah, chief
Gatam, and chief Amalek : these
are the chiefs that came of Eli-
phaz in the land of Edom ; these
17 are the sons of Adah. And these
are the sons of Eeuel Esau's son;
chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief
Shammah, chief Mizzah : these
are the chiefs that came of Reuel
in the land of Edom ; these are
the sons of Basemath Esau's
18 wife. And these are the sons of
Oholibamah Esau's wife ; chief
Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah:
these are the chiefs that came
of Oholibamah the daughter of
19 Anah, Esau's wife. These are
the sons of Esau, and these are
their chiefs (the same is Edom).
120 These are the sons of Seir the
Horite, the inhabitants of the
land ; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zi-
21 beon, and Anah, and Dishon,Ezer,
and Dishan : these are the chiefs
of the Horites, the children of
22 Seir in the land of Edom. And
the children of Lotan were Hori
and Hemam ; and Lotan's sister
23 was Timna. And the children
of Shobal are these ; Alvan, and
Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho,
24 and Onam. And these are the
children of Zibeon ; . . . and
Aiah, and Anah : this was that
Anah that found the hot springs
in the wilderness, as he fed the
25 asses of Zibeon his father. And
the children of Anah were these ;
Dishon, and Oholibamah the
26 daughter of Anah. And the^^e
are the children of Dishan ;
Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ith-
27 ran and Cheran. The children
of Ezer are these ; Bilhan, and
28 Zaavan,andAkan. The children
of Dishan are these ; Uz, and
29 Aran. These are the chiefs that
came of the Horites ; chief Lotan,
chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief
TEXT
P JE
Anah, chief Dishon, chief Ezer,
chief Dishan : these are the
chiefs of the Horites according
to their chiefs in the land
31 of Seir. And these are the
kings that reigned in the land of
Edom, before there reigned any
king over the children of Israel.
3-2 And Bela the son of Beor reigned
in Edom : and the name of his
33 city was Dinhabah. And Bela
died, and Jobab the son of Zerah
of Bozrah reigned in his stead.
34 And Jobab died, and Husham of
the land of the Temanites reigned
35 in his stead. And Husham died,
and Hadad the son of Bedad,
who smote Midian in the field of
Moab, reigned in his stead : and
the name of his city was Avith.
3(j And Hadad died, and Samlah of
Masrekah reigned in his stead.
37 And Samlah died, and Shaul of
Rehoboth by the Eiver reigned
38 in his stead. And Shaul died, and
Baal-hanan the son of Achbor
39 reigned in his stead. And Baal-
hanan the son of Achbor died,
and Hadar reigned in his stead :
and the name of his city was
Pau ; and his wife's name was
Mehetabel, the daughter of Ha-
tred, the daughter of Mezahab.
40 And these are the names of the
chiefs that came of Esau, accord-
ing to their families, after their
places, by their names ; chief
Timnah, chief Alvah, chief Je-
41 theth, chief Oholibamah, chief
42 Elah, chief Pinon, chief Kenaz,
43 chief Teman, chief Mibzar, chief
Magdiel, chief Iram : these be
the chiefs of Edom, according
to their habitations in the land
of their possession : this is Esau
the father of the,Edomites.
37 And Jacob dwelt in the land
-xxxvii. l-2a is in the styl-- of P.
164
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
of his father's sojournings, in
2 the land of Canaan. These are
the senerations of Jacob.
JE
37 26 Joseph, being seventeen
years old, was feeding the tlock
with his brethren ; and he was
a lad with the sons of Bilhah,
and with the sons of Zilpah,
liis father's wives : and Joseph
brought unto his father their
3 evil report. Now Israel loved
Joseph more than all his chil-
dren, because he was the son
of his old age : and he made
him a long sleeved garment.
4 And when his brethren saw that
their father loved him more than
all his brethren, they hated him,
and could not speak peaceably
5 unto him. And Joseph dreamed
a dream, and he told it his
brethren : and they hated him
6 yet the more. And he said
unto them, Hear, I pray yon,
this dream which I have
7 dreamed : for, behold, we were
binding sheaves in the field, and,
lo, my sheaf arose, and also
stood upright ; and, behold,
your sheaves stood round about,
and made obeisance to my sheaf.
8 And his brethren said to him,
Shalt thou indeed rule over
us ? or shalt thou indeed have
dominion over us ? And they
xxxvii. 2A-36 belongs to JE, but it is only toward the end that there is
any trace of duplication. Ver. 28, recording the appearance of Midlanites,
repeats 25, which narrates the approach of Ishmaelites ; and the two state-
ments of Joseph's sale into Egypt in xxxvii. 3G and xxxix. 1 exhibit a
similar difference of name. Probably two accounts have been blended :
in the one Joseph was thrown into a pit at the suggestion of Reuben, and
stolen thence [cf. xl. 15) by Midianites : in the other he was sold to Ish-
maelites at the suggestion of Judah. The respective parts, after ver. 20,
will be (i.) 21-24, 28 (Then .... jtit. And therj hrour/ht Joseph into Egypt),
29-30, 36. (ii.) 2.5-27, 28 (and sold .... silver), 31-35. The last is con-
tinued in xxxix. 1, and therefore belongs to J (see below) : the other is
consequently E.
TEXT
165
JE
hated him j'et the more for
his dreams, and for his words,
i) And he dreamed yet another
dream, and told it his breth-
ren, and said. Behold, I have
dreamed a dream more ; and,
behold, the sun and the moon
and the eleven stars made obei-
10 sance to me. And he told it to
his father, and to his brethren :
and his father rebuked him,
and said unto him. What is
this dream that thou hast
dreamed ? Shall I and thy
motlier and thy brethren in-
deed come to bow down our-
selves to thee to the earth?
11 And his brethren envied him;
but his father kept the matter
12 In mind. And his brethren went
to feed their father's flock in
1;] Shechem. And Israel said un-
to Joseph, Do not thy brethren
feed the flock in Shechem ?
come, and I will send thee
unto them. And he said to
14 him, Here am I. And he said
to him. Go, I pray thee, see
whether it be well with thy
brethren, and well with the
flock ; and bring me word
again. So he sent him out
of the vale of Hebron, and he
l.T came to Shechem. And a cer-
tain man found him, and, be-
hold, he was wandering in the
field : and the man asked him,
1 C, saying, What seekest thou ? and
he said, I seek my brethren :
tell me, I pray thee, where
17 they feed their flock. And
the man said. They are de-
parted hence ; for I heard them
say, Let us go to Dothan. And
Joseph went after his brethren,
18 and found them in Dothan. And
when they saw him afar off,
even before he came near unto
them, they conspired against
1 66 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
19 him to slay him. And they
said one to another, Behold,
20 this dreamer cometh. Come
now therefore, and let us slay
him, and cast him into some
pit, and we will say, Some evil
beast hath devoured him : and
we shall see what will become
21 of his dreams. And Reuben
heard it, and he delivered him
out of their hands ; and said,
22 Let us not kill him. And
Reuben said unto them, Shed
no blood, but cast him into
this pit that is in the wilder-
ness, and lay no hand upon
him ; that he might deliver
him out of their hands, to
restore him to his father again.
23 And it came to pass, when
Joseph was come unto his
brethren, that they stript
Joseph of his garment, his
long sleeved garment ifhat was
24 on him ; and they took him,
and cast him into the pit :
and the pit was empty, there
2."i was no water in it. And they
sat down to eat bread : and
they lifted up their eyes and
looked, and, behold, a train of
Ishmaelites came from Gilead
with their camels bearing spice
and balsam and myrrh, going
to carry it down to Egypt.
2G And Judah said unto his breth-
ren, What profit is it if we
slay our brother, and conceal
27 his blood? Come, and let us
sell him to the Ishmaelites,
and let not our hand be upon
him ; for he is our brother and
our flesh. And his brethren
28 were content. Then there
passed by Midianites, mer-
chantmen ; and they drew and
lifted up Joseph out of the
pit, and sold Joseph to the
Ishmaelites for twenty shekels
TEXT 167
P JE
of silver. And they brought
29 Joseph into Egypt. And Reu-
ben returned unto the pit ; and,
behold, Joseph was not in the
pit ; and he rent his clothes.
30 And he returned unto his bre-
thren, and said, The child is not;
31 and I, whither shall I go ? And
they took Joseph's garment, and
killed a he-goat, and dipped the
V>2 garment in the blood ; and they
sent the long sleeved garment,
and they brought it to their
father ; and said, This have we
found : know thou whether it
be thy son's garment or not.
33 And he knew it, and said. It is
my son's garment ; a wild beast
hath devoured him ; Joseph is
without doubt torn in pieces.
34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and
put sackcloth upon his loins,
and mourned for his son many
35 days. And all his sons and
all his daughters rose up to
comfort him ; but he refused
to be comforted ; and he said,
For I will go down unto the
grave to my son mourning.
Thus his father wept for him.
36 And the Medanites sold him
into Egypt unto Potiphar, an
officer of Pharaoh's, and captain
of the guard.
33 And it carae to pass at that
time, that Judah went down
from his brethren, and turned
in to a certain AduUamite.
2 whose name was Hirah. And
Judah saw there a daughter of
Chap, xxxviii. and xxxix. are Jehovistic in the narrative parts (see text ;
the occurrence of God in xxxix. 9 is in a reported conversation be-
tween Joseph and an Egyptian woman). If xxxvii. 36 has been rightly
assigned to E (see above), the description of Potiphar in xxxix. 1 as an
officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, must have been introduced from
E by the compiler : J may simply have called him an Egyptian (see
xxxix. 5).
i68 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
a certain Canaanite, whose
name was Shuah ; and he took
3 her, and went in unto her.
And she conceived, and bare a
son ; and he called his name
4 Er. And she conceived again,
and hare a son ; and she called
5 his name Onan. And she yet
again bare a son ; and called
his name Shelah : and he
was at Chezib when she bare
8 him. And Judah took a wife
for Er his firstborn, whose name
7 was Tamar. And Er, Judah's
firstborn, was wicked in the
sight of Jehovah ; and Jehovah
8 slew him. And Judah said unto
Onan, Go in unto thy brother's
wife, and marry her, and raise
y up seed to thy brother. And
Onan knew that the seed should
not be his ; and it came to
pass, when he went in unto his
brother's wife, that he destroyed
it to the ground, lest he should
30 give seed to his brother. And
the thing which he did dis-
pleased Jehovah; wherefore he
11 slew him also. Then said Judah
to Tamar his daughter-in-law,
Remain a widow at thy father's
house, till Shelah my son be
grown : for he said, Lest per-
adventure he die also,' as his
brethren did. And Tamar went
and dwelt in her father's house.
12 And in process of time the
daughter of Shuah Judah's wife
died ; and Judah was comforted,
and went up unto his sheep-
shearers to Timnah, he and his
friend Hirah the Adullamite.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying.
Behold thy father-in-law goeth
up to Timnah to shear his sheep.
14 And she put her widow's gar-
ments off from lier, and covered
her with a veil, and disguised
herself, and sat in the entrance
TEXT 169
J
of Enaim, which is by the way
to Timnah ; for she saw that
Shelah was grown up, and she
was not given unto him to wife.
] 5 When Judah saw her, he thought
her to be a harlot ; because
16 she had covered her face. And
he turned unto her by the way,
and said, Come, I pray thee, let
me come in unto thee (for he
knew not that she was his
daughter-in-law). And she said.
What wilt thou give me, that
thou mayest come in unto me ?
17 And he said, I will send thee
a kid from the flock. And she
said. Wilt thou give me a
18 pledge, till thou send it? And
he said. What pledge shall I
give thee ? And she said, Thy
signet, and thy cord, and thy
staff that is in thine hand.
And he gave them her, and came
in unto her, and she conceived
19 by him. And she arose, and
went away, and laid by her
veil from her, and put on the
garments of her widowhood.
20 And Judali sent the kid by the
hand of his friend the Adul-
lamite, to receive his pledge
from the woman's hand : but
21 he found her not. Then he
asked the men of her place,
saying. Where is the devotee,
that was at Enaim by the way
side ? And they said, There was
22 no devotee in i his place. And
he returned to Judah, and said,
I cannot find her : and also the
men of the place said that there
hath been no devotee in this
23 place. And Judah said. Let her
keep it, lest we be put to shame ;
behold, I sent this kid, and
21 thou hast not found her. And
it came to pass about three
months after, that it was told
Judah, saying, Tamarthydaugh-
no THE BOOK OF GENESIS
ter-in-law hath played the har-
lot ; and also, behold, she is
with child by whoredom. And
Judah said, Bring her forth, and
25 let her be burned. When she
was brought forth, she sent to
her father-iu-law, saying. By
the man whose these are am I
with child : and she said. Dis-
cern, I pray thee, whose are
these, the signet, and cords, and
26 staff. And Judah acknowledged
them, and said, She hath been
more righteous than I ; because
I gave her not to Shelah my son.
And he knew her again no more.
27 And it came to pass in the time
of her travail, that, behold,
28 twins were in her womb. And
it came to pass, when she tra-
vailed, that one put out his
hand : and the midwife took
and bound upon his hand a
scarlet thread, saying, This came
29 out first. And it came to pass,
as he drew back his hand, that,
behold, his brother came out :
and she said. Why hast thou
broken forth on thine own ac-
count ? therefore his name was
o9 called Perez. And afterward
came out his brother that had
the scarlet thread upon his
hand : and his name wj^s called
Zerah.
39 And Joseph was brought
down to Egypt ; and Potiphar,
an officer of Pharaoh, captain
of the guard, an Egyptian,
bought him of the hands of the
Ishmaelites, which had brought
2 him down thither. And Jehovah
was with Joseph, and he was a
prosperous man ; and he was in
the house of his master the
3 Egyptian. And his master saw
that Jehovah was with him, and
that Jehovah made all that he
TEXT
17]
J
4 did to prosper in his hand. And
Joseph found grace in his sight,
and he served him : and he
made him overseer over his
house, and all that he had he
T) put into his hand. And it came
to pass from the time that he
had made him overseer in his
house, and over all that he had,
that Jehovah blessed the Egyp-
tian's house for Joseph's sake ;
and the blessing of Jehovah was
upon all that he had in the
6 house, and in the field. And he
left all that he had in Joseph's
hand ; and he knew not aught
he had, save the bread which
he did eat. And Joseph was
7 comely and well favoured. And
it came to pass after these
things, that his master's wife
cast her eyes upon Joseph ; and
8 she said, Lie with me. But he
refused, and said unto his mas-
ter's wife, Behold, my master
knoweth not what is with me in
the house, and he hath com-
mitted all that he hath to my
9 hand ; he is not greater in this
house than I ; neither hath he
kept back any thing from me
but thee, because thou art his
wife : how then can I do this
great wickedness, and sin against
10 God? And it came to pass, as
she spake to Joseph day by day,
that he hearkened not unto her,
to lie by her, or to be with her.
1 1 And it came to pass about this
time, that he went into the house
to do his business ; and there
was none of the men of the
12 house there within. And she
caught him by his garment, say-
ing. Lie with me : and he left
his garment in her hand, and
13 fled, and got him out. And it
came to pass, when she saw that
he had left his garment in her
172 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
14 hand, and was fled forth, that
she called unto the men of her
house, and spake unto them,
saying, See, he hath brought
in a Hebrew unto us to mock
us ; he came in unto me to lie
with me, and I cried with a loud
15 voice: and it came to pass, when
he heard that I lifted up my
voice and cried, that he left his
garment by me, and fled, and
16 got him out. And she laid up
his garment by her, until his
17 master came home. And she
spake unto him according to
these words, saving, The Hebrew
servant, which thou hast brought
us, came in unto me to mock
18 me : and it came to pass, as I
lifted up my voice and cried,
that he left his garment by
19 me, and fled out. And it came
to pass, when his master heard
the words of his wife, which she
spake unto him, saying. After
this manner did thy servant to
me ; that his anger was kindled.
20 And Joseph's master took him,
and put him into the prison, the
place where the king's prisoners
were bound : and he was there
21 in the prison. But Jehovah was
with Joseph, and extended
mercy towards him, and showed
him grace in the sight of the
22 keeper of the prison. And the
keeper of the prison committed
to Joseph's hand all the priso-
ners that were in the prison ;
and whatsoever they did there,
23 he was the doer of it. The
keeper of the prison looked not
to any thing that was under
his hand ; because Jehovah was
with him, and that which he
did, Jehovah made it to pros-
per.
TEXT 173
40 And it came to pass after
these things, that the butler of
the king of Egypt and his baker
had offended their lord the king
2 of Egypt. And Pharaoh was
wroth against two of his officers,
against the chief of the butlers,
and against the chief of the
3 bakers. And he put them in
ward in the house of the cap-
tain of the guard, into the
prison, the place where Joseph
4 was bound. And the captain
of the guard charged Joseph
with them, and he served them:
and they continued a season in
5 ward. And they dreamed a
dream both of them, each man
his dream in one night, each
man according to the interpre-
tation of his dream, the butler
and the baker of the king of
Egypt, which were bound in the
6 prison. And Joseph came in
unto them in the morning, and
looked upon them, and, behold,
7 they were sad. And he asked
Pharaoh's officers that were with
him in ward in his master's
house, saying, Wherefore look
8 ye so sadly to day 7 And they
said unto him. We have dreamed
a dream, and there is no inter-
preter of it. And Joseph said
unto them. Do not interpre-
tations belong to God ? tell
9 me it, I pray you. And the
chief butler told his dream to
Joseph, and said to him, In my
dream, behold, a vine was be-
10 fore me ; and in the vine were
three branches: and when it
budded, its blossoms shot forth ;
and the clusters thereof ripened
Chap, xl., from the correspondence of ver. 15 with the first of the two
narratives dove-tailed into one another in the latter part of chap, xxxvii.,
seems to belong to E [God in ver. 8 is not decisive, since it is used by
Joseph in speaking to foreigners).
74 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
11 into grapes : and Pharaoh's cup
was in my hand : and I took the
prrapes, and pressed them into
Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the
12 cup into Pharaoh's hand. And
Joseph said unto him, This is
the interpretation of it : The
three branches are three days :
13 yet within three days shall Pha-
raoh lift up thine head, and re-
store thee unto thy place : and
thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup
into his hand, after the former
manner when thou wast his
14 butler. But think on me when
it shall be well with thee, and
show mercy, I pray thee, unto
me, and make mention of me
unto Pharaoh, and bring me out
15 of this house: for indeed I was
stolen away out of the land of
the Hebrews : and here also
ha^'e I done nothing that they
should have put me into the
16 dungeon. When the chief baker
saw that the interpretation was
good, he said unto Joseph, I
also was in my dream, and, be-
hold, I had three baskets of white
1 7 bread on my head. And in the
uppermost basket there was all
manner of bakemeats for Pha-
raoh ; and the birds did eat
them out of the basket upon my
18 head. And Joseph answered
and said. This is the interpreta-
tion thereof: The three baskets
1 9 are three days : within yet three
days shall Pharaoh lift up thy
head from off thee, and shall
hang thee on a tree ; and the
birds shall eat thy flesh from off
20 thee. And it came to pass the
third day, which was Pharaoh's
birthday, that he made a feast
unto all his servants : and he
lifted up the head of the chief
butler and of the chief baker
21 among his servants. And he
TEXT
75
P^ E
restored the chief butler unto
his butlership again; and he
gave the cup into Pharaoh's
22 hand : but lie hanged the chief
baker: as Joseph had inter-
23 preted 'to them. Yet did not
the chief butler remember Jo-
seph, but forgat him.
41 And it came to pass at the end
of two full years, that Pharaoh
dreamed : and, behold, he stood
2 by the river. And, behold, there
come up out of the river seven
kine, well favoured and fat-
fleshed ; and they fed in the
3 reed-grass. And, behold, seven
other kine came up after them
out of the river, ill favoured and
leanfleshed ; and stood by the
other kine upon the brink of the
4 river. And the ill-favoured and
leanfleshed kine did eat up the
seven well-favoured and fat kine.
5 So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept
and dreamed the second time :
and, behold, seven ears of corn
came up upon one stalk, rank
6 and good. And, behold, seven
ears, thin and blasted with the
east wind, sprung up after them.
7 And the seven thin ears devoured
the seven rank and full ears.
And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold,
8 it was a dream. And it came to
pass in the morning that his
spirit was troubled ; and he sent
and called for all the magicians of
Egypt, and all the wise men there-
of : and Pharaoh told them his
dream ; but there was none that
could interpret them unto Pha-
9 raoh. Then spake the chief but-
ler unto Pharaoh, saying, I con-
Chap, xli. is a continuation of chap, xl., as appears from the reference
to it in vers. 9-13 ; and its Elohistic character (except ver. 46) is seen from
vers. 51, 52. (The use of God in other verses is inconclusive, as it occurs in
conversations with Egyptians.)
176 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
E
10 fess my faults this day : Pharaoh
was wroth with his servants, and
put me in ward in the captain of
the guard's house, both me and
11 the chief baker: and we dreamed
a dream in one night, I and he ;
we dreamed each man accord-
ing to the interpretation of his
12 dream. And there was there
with us a young man, a Hebrew,
servant to the captain of the
guard ; and we told him, and he
interpreted to us our dreams ;
to each man according to his
13 dream he did interpret. And
it came to pass, as he inter-
preted to us, so it was ; me he
restored unto mine office, and
14 him he hanged. Then Pharaoh
sent and called Joseph, and they
brought him hastily out of the
dungeon : and he shaved him-
self, and changed his raiment,
15 and came in unto Pharaoh. And
Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have
dreamed a dream, and there is
none that can interpret it : and
I have heard say of thee, that
thou canst understand a dream
16 to interpret it. And Joseph an-
swered Pharaoh, saving, It is
not I : God shall give Pharaoh an
17 answer of peace. And Pharaoh
said unto Joseph, In my dream,
behold, I stood upon the bank
18 of the river: and, behold, there
came up out of the river seven
kine, fatfleshed and well fav-
oured ; and they fed in the reed-
19 grass. And, behold, seven other
kine came up after them, poor
and very ill favoured and lean-
fleshed, such as 1 never saw in
all the land of Egypt for bad-
20 ness : and the lean and the ill
favoured kine did eat up the first
21 seven fat kine : and when they
had eaten them up, it could not
be known that they had eaten
TEXT 177
them ; but they were still ill
favoured, as at the beginning.
22 So I awoke. And I saw in my
dream, and, behold, seven ears
came up on one stalk, full and
23 good : and, behold, seven ears,
withered, thin, and blasted with
the east wind, sprung up after
24 them : and the thin ears de-
voured the seven good ears : and
I told this unto the magicians ;
but there was none that could
25 declare it me. And Joseph said
unto Pharaoh, The dream of
Pharaoh is one : God hath
showed Pharaoh what he is
26 about to do. The seven good
kine are seven years ; and the
seven good ears are seven years :
27 the dream is one. And the
seven lean and ill favoured kine
that came up after them are
seven years ; and the seven
empty ears blasted with the east
wind shall be seven years of
28 famine. This is the thing which
I .spake unto Pharaoh : what
God is about to do he showeth
29 unto Pharaoh. Behold, there
come seven years of great plenty
throughout all the land of Egypt :
30 and there shall arise after them
seven years of famine ; and all
the plenty shall be forgotten
in the land of Egypt ; and the
famine shall consume the land ;
31 and the plenty shall not be
known in the land by reason of
that famine following ; for it
82 shall be very grievous. And as
for the dream being doubled
unto Pharaoh, it is because the
thing is established by God, and
God will shortly bring it to pass.
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look
out a man discreet and wise, and
set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do tliis, and let him
appoint officers over the land,
M
[78 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
E
and exact the fifth part of the
land of Egypt in the seven
35 plenteous years. And let them
collect all the food of those
good years that come, and lay
up corn under the hand of
Pharaoh as food in the cities,
36 and let them keep it. And that
food shall be for a store to the
land against the seven years of
famine, which shall be in the
land of Egypt ; that the land
perish not through the famine.
37 And the thing was good in the
eyes of Pharaoh, and in the
38 eyes of all his servants. And
Pharaoh said unto his servants,
Can we find such a one as this
is, a man in whom the spirit of
39 God is ? And Pharaoh said unto
Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath
showed thee all this, there is none
so discreet and wise as thou art :
40 thou shalt be over my house,
and according unto thy word
shall all my people be ruled:
only in the throne will I be
41 greater than thou. And Pharaoh
said unto Joseph, See, I have
set thee over all the land of
42 Egypt. And Pharaoh took oif
his ring from his hand, and put
it upon Joseph's hand, and ar-
rayed him in vestures of fine
linen, and put a gold chain
43 about his neck ; and he made
him to ride in the second chariot
which he had ; and they cried
before him, Bow the knee :
and he set him over all the
44 land of Egypt. And Pharaoh
said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh,
and without thee shall no man
lift up his hand or foot in all the
45 land of Egypt. And Pharaoh
called Joseph's name Zaphenath-
paneah ; and he gave him to
wife Asenath the daughter of
Potiphera priest of On. And
TEXT
179
41 46 And Joseph was thirty
years old when he stood before
Pharaoh king of Egypt. And
Joseph went out from the pre-
sence of Pharaoh, and went
through all the land of Egypt.
Joseph went out over the land
of Egypt.
47 And in the seven plenteous years
the earth brought forth by hand-
48 fuls. And he collected all
the food of the seven years,
which were in the land of
Egypt, and laid up the food in
the cities : the food of the field,
which was round about every
49 city, laid he up in the same. And
Joseph collected corn as the sand
of the sea, very much, until he
left oflf numbering ; for it was
50 beyond numbering. And unto
Joseph were born two sons be-
fore the years of famine came,
which Asenath the daughter of
Potiphera priest of On bare
51 unto him. And Joseph called
the name of the firstborn Ma-
nasseh : For God, said he, hath
made me forget all my toil, and
52 all my father's house. And the
name of the second called he
Ephraim : For, said he, God hath
caused me to be fruitful in the
5.S land of my affliction. And the
seven years of plenteousness that
was in the land of Egypt were
54 ended. And the seven years of
famine began to come, accord-
ing as Joseph had said : and the
famine was in all lands ; but in
all the land of Egypt there was
55 bread. And when all the land
of Egypt was famished, the
people cried to Pharaoh for
bread : and Pharaoh said unto
all the Egyptians, Go unto Jo-
xli. 46, from its style, resembles P, though a similar chronological note
occurs in I. 26 (E).
i8o THE BOOK OF GENESIS
P JE
seph ; what he saith to you, do.
56 And the famine was over all the
face of the earth : and Joseph
opened everything wherein there
was . . ., and sold unto the
Egyptians ; and the famine
waxed sore in the land of
57 Egypt. And all countries came
into Egypt to Joseph to buy
corn ; because the famine was
sore in all lands.
42 Now when Jacob saw that
there was corn in Egypt, Jacob
said unto his sons, Why do ye look
2 one at another ? And he said,
Behold, I have heard that there
is corn in Egypt : get you down
thither, and buy for us from
thence ; that we may live, and
3 not die. And Joseph's ten
brethren went down to buy corn
4 in Egypt. But Benjamin, Jo-
seph's brother, Jacob sent not
with his brethren ; for he said.
Lest peradventure mischief be-
5 fall him. And the sons of Israel
came to buy corn among those
that came : for the famine was
6 in the land of Canaan. And
Joseph was the governor over
the land, and he it was that sold
to all the people of the land :
and Joseph's bretlireu came,
and bowed down themselves
before him with their faces to
7 the earth. And Joseph saw his
brethren, and he knew them, but
Chap. xlii. is of composite origin, if inconsistencies can be taken to
indicate such. In ver. 35 the discovery of the money by the brothers on
their arrival at home agrees with the fact that they had provision for the
journey (ver. '2~>) : but in ver. 27 mention is made of a lodging-place, with
which the account in xliii. 21 harmonises. Chaps, xliii. and xliv. appa-
rently belong to J (see below) ; and this determines the source of xlii.
27-28(1. The rest of xlii. will then belong to E, with which accords the
position of Reuben (vers. 22, 37). The use of God in all passages except 286
is indecisive, as Joseph appears in the character of an Egyptian. As regards
phraseology, J uses ^janmer, and E sack (the two being confused in 27).
TEXT
JE
made himself strange i:nto them,
and spake roughly unto them;
and he said unto them, Whence
come ye ? And they said, From
the l.i!id of Canaan to buy food.
8 And Joseph knew his brethren,
9 but they knew not him. And
Joseph remembered the dreams
which he drenmed of them, and
said unto them, Ye are spies ; to
see the nakedness of the land
10 ye are come. And they said
unto him. Nay, my lord, but to
buy food are thy servants come.
1 1 We are all one man's sons ; we
are true men, thy servants are no
12 spies. And he said unto them,
Nay, but to see the nakedness of
the land ye are come. And they
IH said, Thy servants are twelve,
brethren are we, the sons of one
man in the land of Canaan, and,
behold, the youngest is this day
with our father, and one is not.
14 And Joseph said unto them,
Thut is it that I spake unto you,
13 saving. Ye are spies: hereby ye
shall be proved : by the life of
Pharaoh ye shall not go forth
hence, except your youngest
Ui brother come hither. Send one
of you, and let him fetch your
brother, and ye shall be kept in
prison, that your words may be
proved, whether there be any
truth in you : or else by the
life of Pharaoh surely ye are
17 spies. And he put them all
together into ward three days.
18 And Joseph said unto them the
third day. This do and live ; for
19 I fear God : If ye be true men,
let one of your brethren be
bound in the house of your
prison : go ye, carry corn for
20 the famine of your houses : but
bring your youngest brother
unto me ; so shall your words
be verified, and ve shall not die.
1 82 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
21 And they did so. And they said
one to another, We are verily
guilty concerning our brother,
whose anguish of soul we saw,
when he besought us, and we
would not hear ; therefore is
22 this anguish come upon us. And
Eeuben answered them, saying,
Spake I not unto you, saying. Do
not sin against the child, and ye
would not hear ? therefore, be-
hold, also his blood is required.
23 And they knew not that Joseph
understood them ; for the inter-
24 preter was between them. And
he turned himself about from
them, and wept ; and returned
to them again, and communed
with them, and took from them
Simeon, and bound him before
25 their eyes. Then Joseph com-
manded to fill their vessels with
corn, and to restore every man's
money into his sack, and to give
them provision for the way ;
and thus did he unto them.
26 And they laded their asses with
the corn, and departed thence.
27 And as one of them opened his
sack to give his ass provender
in the lodging-place, "he saw his
money; for, behold, it was in the
28 mouth of his pannier. And he
said unto his brethren. My money
is restored ; and, lo, it is even
in my pannier : and their heart
failed them, and they turned
trembling one to another, saying,
What is this that God liath done
29 unto us ? And they came imto
Jacob their father unto the land
of Canaan, and told him all that
'M had befallen them, saying. The
man, who is the lord of the
land, .spake roughly to us, and
took us for spies of the country.
31 And we said unto him. We are
32 true men ; we are no spies : we
be twelve brethren, sons of our
TEXT 183
P JE
father ; one is not, and the
youngest is this day with our
father in the land of Canaan.
33 And the man, the lord of the
country, said unto us, Hereby
shall I know that ye are true
men ; leave one of your breth-
ren here with me, and take
food for the famine of your
M households, and be gone: and
bring your youngest brother un-
to me : then shall I know that
ye are not spies, but that ye are
true men : so will I deliver you
your brother, and ye shall traffic
H5 in the land. And it came to
pass as they emptied their sacks,
that, behold, every man's bundle
of money was in his sack : and
when both they and their father
saw the bundles of money, they
36 were afraid. And Jacob their
father said unto them, Me have
ye bereaved of my children :
Joseph is not, and Simeon is
not, and ye will take Benjamin
away : all these things are
37 against me. And Reuben spake
unto his father, saying, Slay my
two sons, if I bring him not to
thee : deliver him into my hand,
and I will bring him to thee
38 again. And he said, My son
shall not go down with you ;
for his brother is dead, and he
alone is left : if mischief befall
him by the way in the which ye
go, then shall ye bring down my
gray hairs with sorrow to the
gra^e.
43 And the famine was sore in
2 the land. And it came to pass,
when they had eaten up the
Chap, xliii. and xliv. belong to J, for in them Judah is given the same
prominence as in the J portions of xxxvii. xliii. 14, however, has an
expression which is elsewhere in Genesis only found in P ; whilst the
latter part of the verse refers to xlii. 36 (E) : it therefore may come from
the latter, but have been re-handled by the compiler.
]84 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
corn which they had brought
out of Egypt, their father said
unto thera, Go again, buy us a
8 little food. And Judah spake
unto him, saying, The man did
solemnly protest unto us, say-
ing. Ye shall not see my face,
except your brother be with you.
4 If thou wilt send our brother
with us, we will go down and
5 buy thee food : but if thou wilt
not send him, we will not go
down : for the man said unto
us, Ye shall not see my face ex-
cept your brother be with you.
6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt
ye so ill with me, as to tell
the man whether ye had yet a
7 brother? And they said. The
man asked us straitly of our-
selves, and of our kindred, say-
ing. Is your father yet alive?
have ye another brother? and
we told him according to the
tenor of these words : could we
certainly know that he would
say, Bring your brother down ?
8 And Judah said unto Israel his
father, Send the lad with me,
and we will arise and go ; that
we may live, and not die, both
we, and thou, and also our little
9 ones. I will be surety for him ;
of my hand shalt thou require
him : if I bring him not unto
thee, and set him before thee,
then let me bear the blame for
10 ever: for except we had linger-
ed, surely now we had returned
11 a second time. And their father
Israel said unto them, If it must
be so now, do this ; take of the
choice fruits of the land in your
vessels, and carry down the man
a present, a little balsam, and a
little honey, spices, and myrrh,
1 2 nuts, and almonds : and take a
second sum of money in your
hand ; and the money that was
TEXT 185
J
brought again in the mouth of
your panniers, carry it again in
your hand ; peradventure it was
13 an oversight: take also your
brother, and arise, go again
] 4 unto the man : and God Al-
mighty give you mercy before
the man, that he may send away
your other brother, and Benja-
min. If I be bereaved of my
15 children, I am bereaved. And
the men took that present, and
they took a second sum of money
in their hand, and Benjamin ;
and rose up, and went down to
Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin
with them, he said to the stew-
ard of his house, Bring these
men into the house, and slay, and
make ready ; for these men shall
] 7 dine with me at noon. And the
man did as Joseph bade ; and
the man brought the men into
18 Joseph's house. And the men
were afraid, because they were
brought into Joseph's house ;
and they said. Because of the
money that was returned in our
panniers at the first time are we
brought in ; that he may assail
us, and fall upon us, and take
us for servants, and our asses.
19 And they came near to the
steward of Joseph's house, and
they communed with him at the
20 entrance of the house, and said,
O ray lord, we came indeed down
21 at the first time to buy food :
and it came to pass, when we
came to the lodging-place, that
we opened our panniers, and be-
hold, every man's money was in
the mouth of his pannier, our
money in full weight : and we
have brought it again in our
22 hand. And other money have
we brought down in our hands
to buy food : we cannot tell who
i86 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
put our money in our panniers.
23 And he said, Peace be to you,
fear not: your God, and the
God of your father, hath given
you treasure in your panniers :
I had your money. And he
brought Simeon out unto them.
21 And the man brought the men
into Joseph's house, and gave
them water, and they washed
their feet ; and he gave their
25 asses provender. And they made
ready the present against Joseph
came at noon : for they heard
tliat they should eat bread there.
26 And when Joseph came home,
they brought him the present
which was in their hand into the
house, and bowed themselves to
27 him to the earth. And he asked
them of their welfare, and said.
Is your father well, the old man
of whom ye spake ? Is he yet
28 alive ? And they answered. Thy
servant our father is in good
health, he is yet alive. And they
bowed down their heads, and
29 made obeisance. And he lifted
up his eyes, and saw his brother
Benjamin, his mother's son, and
said. Is this your -^ younger
brother, of whom ye spake
unto me? And he said, God be
gracious unto thee, my son.
30 And Joseph made haste : for
his heart did yearn upon his
brother : and he sought where
to weep ; and he entered into
his chamber, and wept there.
31 And he washed his face, and
went out, and refrained himself,
32 and said. Set on bread. And
they set on for him by himself,
and for them by themselves, and
for the Egyptians, which did
eat with him, by themselves :
because the Egyptians cannot
eat bread with the Hebrews ;
for that i.s an abomination unto
TEXT 187
33 the Egyptians. And they sat be-
fore him, the firstborn according
to his birthright, and the young-
est according to his youth : and
the men marvelled one at
34 another. And he took and sent
messes unto them from before
him : but Benjamin's mess was
five times as great as any of
theirs. And they drank, and
were merry with him.
44 And he commanded the stew-
ard of his house, saying, Fill the
men's panniers with food, as
much as they can carry, and put
every man's money in his pan-
2 nier's mouth. And put my cup,
the silver cup, in the pannier's
mouth of the youngest, and his
corn money. And he did accord-
ing to the word that Josejjh had
3 spoken. As soon as the morning
was light, the men were sent
4 away, they and their asses. And
when they were gone out of the
city, and not yet far off, Joseph
said unto his steward, Up, follow
after the men ; and when thou
dost overtake them, ^ay unto
them, Wherefore have ye re-
5 warded evil for good ? Is not
this it in which my lord drink-
eth, and whereby indeed he
divineth ? ye have done evil in
G so doing. And he overtook
them, and he spake unto them
7 these same words. And they
said unto him. Wherefore saith
my lord such words ? Be it
far from thy servants to do
8 this thing : behold, the money,
which we found in our pan-
niers' mouths, we brought again
unto thee out of the land of
Canaan ; how then should we
steal out of thy lord's house
9 silver or gold? With whomso-
ever of thy servants it be found,
i88 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
J
both let him die, and we also
10 will be my lord's servants. And
he said, Now also let it be ac-
cording unto your words : he
■with whom it is found shall be
my servant ; and ye shall be
11 blameless. Then they speedily
took down every man his pan-
nier to the ground, and opened
12 every man his pannier. And he
searched, and began at the eldest,
and ended at the youngest :
and the cup was found in Ben-
13 jamin's pannier. Then they rent
their clothes, and laded every
man his ass, and returned to the
14 city. And Judah and his breth-
ren came to Joseph's house ; for
he was yet there : and they fell
1 5 before him on the ground. And
Joseph said unto them, What
deed is this that ye have done ?
wot ye not that such a man as
1<) I can certainly divine? and Ju-
dah said, What shall we say un-
to my lord ? what shall we speak 7
or how shall we clear ourselves ?
God hath found out the iniquity
of thy servants : behold, we are
my lord's servants, both we, and
he also with whom the cup is
17 found. And he said. Be it far
from me to do so : but the man
in whose hand the cup is found,
he shall be my servant ; and as
for you, get you up in peace un-
1 S to your father. Then Judah came
near unto him, and said. Oh my
lord, let thy servant, I pray thee,
speak a word in my lord's ears,
and let not thine anger be kindled
against thy servant : for thou
19 art even as Pharaoh. My lord
asked his servants, saying. Have
20 ye a father, or a brother ? and
we said unto my lord. We have
a father, an old man, and a child
of his old age. a little one ; and
his brother is dead, and he alone
TEXT 189
J
is left of his mother, and liis
21 father loveth him. And thou
saidst unto thy servants, Bring
him down unto me, that I may
22 set mine eyes upon him. And
we said unto my lord, The lad
cannot leave his father : for if
he should leave his father, his
23 father would die. And thou
saidst unto thy servants, Except
your youngest brother come
down with you, ye shall see my
24 face no more. And it came to
pass, when we came up unto thy
servant my father, we told him
25 the words of my lord. And our
father said, Go again, and buy
26 us a little food. And we said,
We cannot go down : if our
youngest brother be with us, then
will we go down : for we may
not see the man's face, except
our youngest brother be with us.
27 And thy servant my father said
unto us. Ye know that my wife
2S bare me two sons : and the ono
went out from me, and I said,
Surely he is torn in pieces ; and
29 I have not seen him since : and
if ye take this one also from me,
and mischief befall him, ye shall
bring down my gray hairs with
30 sorrow to the grave. Now there-
fore when I come to thy servant
my father, and the lad be not with
us ; seeing that his life is bound
31 up in the lad's life ; it shall come
to pass, when he seeth that the
lad is not with us, that he will
die : and thy servants shall bring
down the gray hairs of thy ser-
vant our father with sorrow to
32 the grave. For thy servant be-
came surety for the lad unto my
father, saying, If I bring him
not unto thee, then I shall bear
the blame to my father for ever.
33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let
thy servant abide instead of the
lOo THE BOOK OF GENESIS
P JE
lad a servant to my lord ; and
let the lad go up with his breth-
34 ren. For how shall I go up to
my father, and the lad be not
with me ? lest perad venture I
see the evil that shall come on
ray father.
45 Then Joseph could not re-
frain himself before all them
that stood by him ; and he cried,
Cause every man to go out from
me. And there stood no man
with him, while Joseph made
himself known unto his brethren.
2 And he wept aloud : and the
Egyptians and the house of Pha-
3 raoh heard. And Joseph said
unto his brethren, I am Joseph ;
doth my father yet live ? And
his brethren could not answer
him ; for they were troubled at
4 his presence. And Joseph said
unto his brethren, Come near to
me, I pray you. And they came
near. And he said, I am Joseph
your brother, whom ye sold
f) into Egypt. And now be not
grieved, nor angry with your-
selves, that ye sold me hither :
for God did send me before you
6 to preserve life. For these two
years hath the famine been in
the land : and yet there are five
years, in the which tliere shall
neither be ploughing norharvest.
7 And God sent me before you to
preserve you a remnant in the
earth, and to save your lives by
8 a great deliverance. So now it
was not you that sent me hither,
but God : and he hath made me
a father to Pharaoh, and lord of
all his house,andaruIer through-
It out all the land of Egypt. Haste
xlv. 1-xlvi. 5, in the main, belongs to E, as appeal can here be made to
the use of God, since Joseph is no longer disguised ; but it seems also to
include traces of J ; e.g., the reference to Joseph's sale in xlv. 4-5.
TEXT 191
JE
ye, and go up to my father, and
say unto him. Thus saith thy son
Joseph, God hath made me lord
of all Egypt : come down unto
10 me, tarry not ; and thou shalt
dwell in the land of Goshen,
and thou shalt be near unto me,
thou, and thy children, and thy
children's children, and thy
flocks, and thy herds, and all
11 that thou hast : and there will I
support thee ; for there are yet
five years of famine ; lest thou,
and thy household, and all that
thou hast, come to poverty.
12 And, behold, your eyes see, and
the eyes of my brother Benjamin,
that it is my mouth that speaketh
13 unto you. And ye shall tell my
father of all my glory in Egypt,
and of all that ye have seen ; and
ye shall haste and bring down
14 my father hither. And he fell
upon his brother Benjamin's
neck, and wept ; and Benjamin
1.5 wept upon his neck. Moreover
he kissed all his brethren, and
wept upon them : and afterward
his brethren talked with him.
16 And the report thereof was
heard in Pharaoh's house, say-
ing, Joseph's brethren are come :
and it pleased Pharaoh well, and
17 his servants. And Pharaoh said
unto Joseph, Say unto thy breth-
ren, This do ye ; lade your
beasts, and go, get you unto the
18 land of Canaan ; and take your
father and your households, and
come unto me : and I will give
you the good of the land of
Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat
1!1 of the land. Now thou art com-
manded : this do ye; take you
wagons out of the land of Egypt
for your little ones, and for your
wives, and bring your father, and
20 come. Also regard not your stuff ;
for the good of all the land of
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
'2 1 Egypt is yours. And tbe sons of
Israel did so : and Joseph gave
them wagons, according to the
commandment of Pharaoli, and
gave them provision for the way.
22 To all of them he gave each man
changes of raiment ; but to Ben-
jamin he gave three hundred
pieces of silver, and five changes
23 of raiment. And to his father
he sent after this manner ; ten
asses laden with the good things
of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden
with corn and bread and supplies
24 for his father by the way. So
he sent his brethren away, and
they departed : and he said unto
them. See that ye fall not out by
25 the way. And they went up out
of Egypt, and came into the land
of Canaan unto Jacob their father,
26 and told him, saying, Joseph is
yet alive, and he is ruler over
all the land of Egypt. And
Jacob's heart grew cold, for he
27 believed them not. And they
told him all the words of Joseph,
which he had said unto them :
and when he saw the wagons
which Joseph had sent to carry
him, the spirit of jQ,cob their
28 father revived : and Israel said.
It is enough ; Joseph my sou is
yet alive : I will go and see him
before I die.
46 And Israel journeyed with
all that he had, and came to
Beersheba, and offered sacri-
fices unto the God of his father
2 Isaac. And God spake unto
Israel in the visions of the night,
and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he
3 said, Here am I. And he said, I
am God, the God of thy father :
fear not to go down into Egypt ;
for I will there make of thee a
4 great nation : I will go down
with thee into Egypt ; and I will
TEXT
193
46 6 And they took their cattle,
and their substance, which they
had gathered in the land of
Canaan, and came into Egypt,
Jacob, and all his seed with
7 him : his sons, and his sons' sons
with him, his daughters, and his
sons' daughters, and all his seed
brought he with him into Egypt.
8 And these are the names of the
children of Israel, which came
into Egypt, Jacob and his sons :
9 Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. And
the sons of Reuben ; Hanoch, and
Palln, and Hezron, and Carmi.
10 And the sons of Simeon ; Jemuel,
and Jamin,and Ohad, and Jachin,
and Zohar, and Shaul, the son of
11a Canaanitish woman. And the
sons of Levi ; Gershon , Kohath,
12 and Merari. And the sons of
Judah; Er,and Onan,andShelah,
and Perez, and Zerah : but Er
and Onan died in the land of
Canaan. And the sons of Perez
13 were Hezron and Hamul. And
the sons of Issachar ; Tola, and
Puvah, and Job, and Shimron.
14 And the sons of Zebulun ; Sered,
15 and Elon, and Jahleel. These
are the sons of Leah, which she
bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram,
with his daughter Dinah : all
the persons of his sons and his
daughters were thirty and three.
JE
also surely bring thee up again :
and Joseph shall put his hand
5 upon thine eyes. And Jacob
rose up from Beer-sheba : and
the sons of Israel carried Jacob
their father, and their little ones,
and their wives, in the wagons
which Pharaoh had sent to carry
him.
slvi. 6-27 is an extract exhibiting the phraseology of P ; but the allusions
in ver. 12 to xxxviii. 7, 10, in 15 foil, to c. xxix., xxx., and in 20 to xli. 50
(all JE), suggest that from ver. 8 onwards it has been revised by the compiler.
Tv'
194
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion,
and Haggi, Sbuni, and Ezbon,
17 Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. And
the sons of Asher ; Imuab, and
Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah,
and Serah their sister : and the
sons of Beriah ; Heber, and Mal-
18 chiel. These are the sons of
Zilpah, whom Laban gave to
Leah his daughter, and these
she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen
19 persons. The sons of Rachel
Jacob's wiie ; Joseph and Ben-
20 jamin. And unto Joseph in
the land of Egypt were born
Manasseh and Ephraim, which
Asenath the daughter of Toti-
phera priest of On bare unto
21 him. And the sons of Ben-
jamin were Bela, and Becher,
and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman,
Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and
22 Huppim, and Ard. These are
the sons of Rachel, which were
born to Jacob : all the persons
23 were fourteen. And the sons of
24 Dan ; Hushim. And the sons of
Naphtali ; Jahzeel, and Guni,
25 and Jezer, and Shillem. These
are the sons of Bilhah, which
Laban gave unto Rachel bis
daughter, and she bare these
unto Jacob : all the persons were
26 seven. All the persons that
came with Jacob into Egypt,
which came out of his loins, be-
sides Jacob's sons' wives, all the
persons were threescore and six ;
27 and the sons of Joseph, which
were born to him in Egypt, were
two persons : all the persons of
the house of Jacob, which came
into Egypt, were threescore and
ten.
28 And he sent Judah before him
unto Joseph, to show the way
before him unto Goshen ; and
xlvi. 28-xlvii. 4 presumably belongs to J, from the prominence given to
Judah (c/. also xlvi. 34 with xliii. 32).
TEXT ,95
they came into the land of
29 Goshen. And Joseph made
ready his chariot, and went up
to meet Israel his father, to
Goshen, and presented himself
unto him ; and he fell on his
neck, and wept on his neck
30 a good while. And Israel
said unto Joseph, Now let me
die, since I have seen thy face,
31 that thou art yet alive. And
Joseph said unto his brethren,
and unto his father's house, I
will go up, and tell Pharaoh,
and say unto him. My brethren,
and my father's house, which
were in the land of Canaan, are
32 come unto me ; and the men are
shepherds, for they have been
keepers of cattle ; and they have
brought their flocks, and their
herds, and all that they have.
33 And it shall come to pass, when
Pharaoh shall call you, and shall
say, What is your occupation?
34 that ye shall say, Thy servants
have been keepers of cattle from
our youth even until now, both
we, and also our fathers : that
ye may dwell in the land of
Goshen ; for every shepherd is
an abomination unto the Egyp-
tians.
47 Then Joseph came and told
Pharaoh, and said, My father
and my brethren, and their
flocks, and their herds, and all
that they have, are come out of
the land of Canaan ; and, be-
hold, they are In the land of
2 Goshen, And lie took of his
brethren five men, and presented
3 them unto Pharaoh. And Pha-
raoh said unto his brethren,
What is your occupation ? And
they said unto Pharaoh, Thy
servants are shepherds, both we,
4 and also our fathers. Thev said
196
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
47 5 And Pharaoh spake unto
Joseph, saying, Thy father and
thy brethren are come unto thee.
6 The land of Egypt is before
thee ; in the best of the land
make thy father and brethren to
dwell.
7 And Joseph brought in Jacob
his father, and set him before
Pharaoh : and Jacob blessed
8 Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said
unto Jacob, How old art thou ?
9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh,
The days of the years of my so-
journings are a hundred and
thirty years : few and evil have
the days of the years of my life
been, and have not attained un-
to the days of the years of the
life of my fathers in the days of
10 their sojournings. And Jacob
blessed Pharaoh, and went out
11 from before Pharaoh. And
Joseph placed his father and his
brethren, and gave them a pos-
session in the land of Egypt,
in the best of the land, in the
land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had
commanded.
JE
moreover unto Pharaoh, To so-
journ in the land are we come ;
for thy servants have no pasture
for their flocks ; for the famine
is sore in the land of Canaan :
now therefore, we pray thee, let
thy servants dwell in the land
of Goshen.
66 In the land of Goshen let them
dwell : and if thou knowest any
capable men among them, then
make them rulers over my cattle.
12 And Joseph supported his father,
and his brethren, and all his
father's household, with bread,
according to their little ones.
13 And there was no bread in all
the land ; for the famine was very
sore, so that the land of Egypt
xlvii. 6&, 13-31 (except 276, 2S) may come from the same source (J).
xlvii. 12 is perhaps from E : cf. xlv. 11.
xlvii. 5-6a, 7-11, are both distinct from the J sections with which they
are incorporated, and similar to other parts of P.
TEXT 197
and all the land of Canaan was
exhausted by reason of the
14 famine. And Joseph collected
all the money that was found
in the land of Egypt, and in the
land of Canaan, for the corn
which they bought : and Joseph
brought the money into Pha-
15 raoh's house. And when money
failed in the land of Egypt, and
in the land of Canaan, all the
Egyptians came unto Joseph,
and said, Give us bread : for
why should we die in thy pre-
sence ? for the money faileth.
16 And Joseph said. Give your
cattle ; and I will give you for
17 your cattle, if money fail. And
they brought their cattle unto
Joseph : and Joseph gave them
bread in exchange for the horses,
and for the stock of sheep, and
for the stock of oxen, and for
the asses : and he fed them with
bread in exchange for all their
18 cattle for that year. When that
year was ended, they came unto
him the second year, and said
unto him, We will not hide it
from my lord, that our money
is spent, and my lord hath our
stock of cattle, there is not aught
left in the sight of my lord, but
19 our bodies, and our soil: where-
fore should we die before thine
eyes, both we and our soil? buy
us and our soil for bread, and
we and our soil will be ser-
vants unto Pharaoh : and give
us seed, that we may live, and
not die, that the soil be not
20 desolate. And Joseph bought
all the soil of Egypt for Pha-
raoh ; for the Egyptians sold
every man his field, because the
famine was sore upon them : so
the land became Pharaoh's.
21 And as for the people, he re-
moved them to the cities from one
[98
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
27b And they gat them possessions
therein, and were fruitful and
28 multiplied exceedingly. And
Jacob lived in the land of Egypt
seventeen years: so the whole
age of Jacob was a hundred
forty and seven years.
end of the borders of Egypt even
22 to the other end thereof. Only
the soil of the priests bought he
not; for the priests had a por-
tion assigned them of Pharaoh,
and did eat their portion which
Pharaoh gave them : wherefore
23 they sold not their soil. Then
Joseph said unto the people,
Behold, I have bought you this
day and your soil for Pharaoh :
lo, here is seed for you, and ye
24 shall sow the soil. And it shall
come to pass in the increase, that
ye shall give the fifth part unto
Pharaoh, and four parts shall
be your own, for the seed of the
field, and for your food, and for
them of your households, and
to be food for your little ones.
25 And they said, Thou hast saved
our lives ; let us find [j race in the
sight of my lord, and we will be
26 Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph
made it a law over the land of
Egypt unto this day, thatPharaoh
should have the fifth part ; only
the land of the priests became
27 not Pharaoh's. And Israel dwelt
in the land of Egypt, in the
land of Goshen.
29 And the time drew nigh that
Israel must die : and he called
his son Joseph, and said unto
him. If now I have found grace
in thy sight, put, I pray thee,
thy hand under my thigh, and
shoiv to me mercy and truth ;
bury me not, I pray thee, in
30 Egypt : but I will lie with my
xlvii. 276-28 is clearly from P.
TEXT
199
JE
fathers, and thou shalt carry me
out of Egypt, and bury me in
their buryingplace. And he
said, I will do as thou hast said.
And he said, Swear unto me.
And he sware unto him. And
Israel bowed himself upon the
bed's head.
48 3 And Jacob said unto Jo-
seph, God Almighty appeared
unto me at Luz in the land of
Canaan, and blessed me, and
4 said unto me. Behold, I will
make thee fruitful, and multi-
ply thee, and I will make of
thee an assembly of people ; and
will give this land to thy seed
after thee for an everlasting
5 possession. And now thy two
sons, Epbraim and Manasseh,
which were born unto thee in
the land of Egypt before I came
unto thee into Egypt, are mine ;
as Reuben and Simeon, they
6 shall be mine. And thy issue,
which thou begettest after them,
shall be thine, and shall be
called after the name of their
brethren in their inheritance.
48 And it came to pass after
these things, that one told Jo-
seph, Behold, thy father is sick :
and he took with him his two
sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And one told Jacob, and said.
Behold, thy son Joseph cometh
unto thee : and Israel streng-
thened himself, and sat upon
the bed.
7 And as for me, when I came
from Paddan, Rachel died by my
xlviii. 1-2, 7-22 are mainly Elohistic {God appears throughout, and the
announcement of Jacob's sickness in ver. 1 ignores the Jehovistic narra-
tive in xlvii. 29-31) ; but there are possibly elements of J (c/. 7 with
XXXV. 16-18).
xlviii. 3-6 has the usual characteristics of P : ver. 3 alludes to xxxv. 9,
foil.
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
JE
side in the land of Canaan in
the way, when yet there was
a little way to come unto Eph-
rath : and I buried her there in
the way of Ephrath (the same
8 is Bethlehem). And Israel be-
held Joseph's sons, and said,
9 Who are these? And Joseph
said unto his father, They are
my sons, whom God hath given
me in this place. And he said,
Bring them, I pray thee, unto
10 me, and I will bless them. Now
the eyes of Israel were dim for
age, so that he could not see.
And he brought them near unto
him ; and he kissed them, and
11 embraced them. And Israel
said unto Joseph, I had not
thought to see thy face: and,
lo, God hath showed me also
12 thy seed. And Joseph brought
them out from between his
knees, and he bowed himself
13 with his face to the earth. And
Joseph took them both, Eph-
raim in his right hand toward
Israel's left hand, and Manasseh
in his left hand toward Israel's
right hand, and brought them
14 near unto him. And Israel
stretched out his right hand,
and laid it upon Ephraim's head,
who was the younger, and his
left hand upon Manasseh's head,
guiding his hands wittingly ; for
15 Manasseh was the firstborn. And
he blessed Joseph, and said.
The God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac did walk,
the God which fed me all my
16 life long unto this day, the
angel which redeemed me from
all evil, bless the lads ; and let
my name, be called on them, and
the name of my fathers Abra-
ham and Isaac ; and let them
grow into a multitude in the
17 midst of the earth. And when
TEXT
JE
Joseph saw that his father laid
his right hand upon the head of
Ephraim, it displeased him : and
he held up his father's hand, to
remove it from Ephraim's head
18 unto Manasseh's head. And
Joseph said unto his father, Not
so, my father : for this is tlie
firstborn ; put thy right hand
19 upon his head. And his father
refused, and said, I know it, my
son, I know it : he also shall be-
come a people, and he also shallbe
great: nevertheless his younger
brother shall be greater than he,
and his seed shall become a
•20 multitude of nations. And he
blessed them that day, saying.
In thee shall Israel bless, saying,
God make thee as Ephraim and
as Manasseh : and he set Eph-
21 raim before Manasseh. And
Israel said unto Joseph, Behold,
I die: but God shall be with
you, and bring you again into
22 the land of your fathers. More-
over I give to thee one mountain-
slope above thy brethren, which
I took out of the hand of the
Amorite with my sword and
with my bow.
49 And Jacob called unto his
sons, and said. Collect yourselves
together, that I may tell you
that which shall befall you in
2 later days. Assemble yourselves
together, and hear, ye sons of
Jacob ; and hearken unto Israel
3 your father. Reuben, thou art
my firstborn, my might, and
the first-fruits of my strength,
pre-eminent in dignity, and
4 pre-eminent in power: boiling
over like water, thou must not
Chap, xlix. l-28a is from J (see ver. 18). The principal contents have
probably been incorporated from an independent source, many of the
expressions being archaic, poetical, or rare.
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
have the pre-eminence ; because
thou wentest up to thy father's
bed ; then defiledst thou it : he
5 went up to my couch. Simeon
and Levi are brethren ; weapons
6 of violence are their swords. O
my soul, come not thou into their
council; unto their assembly, my
glory, be not thou united : for in
their anger they slew men, and
in their selfwill they hamstrung
7 oxen. Cursed be their anger,
for it was fierce ; and their
wrath, for it was cruel : I will
divide them in Jacob, and scatter
8 them in Israel. Judah, thou art
he whom thy brethren shall
praise : thy hand shall be on
the neck of thine enemies : thy
father's children shall bow down
9 before thee. Judah is a lion's
whelp : from the prey, my son,
thou art gone up : he stooped
down, he couched as a lion, and
as a lioness ; who shall rouse
10 him up? The sceptre shall not
depart from Judah, nor the
ruler's staff from between his
feet, until he come to Shiloh ;
and unto him shall the obedience
11 of the peoples be. Binding his
foal unto the vine, and his ass's
colt unto the choice vine ; he hath
washed his garments in wine,
and his clothes in the blood of
12 grapes : his eyes shall be red
with wine, and his teeth white
13 with milk, Zebulun shall dwell
by the coast of the sea ; and he
shall be for a coast of ships ; and
his border shall be upon Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass couch-
ing down between the sheep-
15 folds : and he saw that rest was
good, and the land that it was
pleasant; and bowed his shoul-
der to bear, and was reduced to
the forced labour of a servant.
16 Dan shall judge his people, as
TEXT 203
17 one of the tribes of Israel. Dan
shall be a serpent in the way,
an adder in the path, that biteth
the horse's heels, so that his
18 rider falleth backward. I have
waited for thy salvation, 0 Je-
19 hovah. Gad, a troop shall press
on him : but he shall press on
20 their heel. Out of Asher shall
come fat — his bread, and he
21 shall yield royal dainties. Na-
phtali is a hind let loose : one
22 who giveth goodly words. Jo-
seph is a young fruit tree, even a
young fruit tree by a fountain ;
whose branches run over the
23 wall : the archers have sorely
grieved him, and shot at him,
24 and persecuted him : but his
bow abode in strength, and the
arms of his hands were made
active from the hands of the
Mighty One of Jacob, from
thence, from the shepherd, the
25 stone of Israel: even from the
God of thy father, who shall help
thee ; and with the help of the
Almighty, who shall bless thee
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that
coucheth beneath, blessings of
the breasts, and of the womb.
26 The blessings of thy father pre-
vail above the blessings of
my progenitors unto the utmost
bound of the everlasting hills :
they shall be on the head of
Joseph, and on the crown of the
head of him that is a prince
27 among his brethren. Benjamin
is a wolf that raveneth : in the
morning he shall devour the
prey, and at night he shall
28 divide the spoil. All these are
the twelve tribes of Israel : and
this is it that their father spake
unto them.
204 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
49 28& And blessed them ; every
one according to his blessing he
29 blessed them. And he charged
them, and said unto them, I am
to be gathered unto my people ;
bury me with my fathers in the
cave that is in the field of Ephron
30 the Hittite, in the cave that is
in the field of Machpelah, which
is before Mamre, in the land of
Canaan, which Abraham bought
with the field of Ephron the
Hittite for a possession of a
31 burying - place ; there they
buried Abraham and Sarah his
wife ; there they buried Isaac
and Rebekah his wife ; and
82 there I buried Leah ; the pur-
chase of the field and of the
cave that is therein from the
33 children of Heth. And when
Jacob had made an end of
commanding his sons, he drew
up his feet into the bed, and
expired, and was gathered unto
his people.
50 And Joseph fell upon his
father's face, and wept upon
2 him, and kissed him. And
Joseph commanded his servants
the physicians to embalm his
father : and the physicians em-
3 balmed Israel. And forty days
were completed for him ; for so
are completed the days of the
embalming ; and the Egyptians
mourned for him threescore
4 and ten days. And when the
days of the mourning for him
were past, Joseph spake unto
the house of Pharaoh, saying,
xlix. 28&-33 belongs to P ; cf. especially chap, xxiii.
1. 12-13 is a continuation of the preceding, and therefore also belongs
to P.
1. 1-11, 14, appear to belong to J (c/. ver. 5 with xlvii. 29 foil.) ; whilst
15-26 are Elohistic (c/. 19, 23 with xxx. 2, 3, and 21 with xlvii. 12).
TEXT
50 12 And his sons did unto him
according as he commanded
13 them: for his sons carried him
into the land of Canaan, and
buried him in the cave of the
field of Machpelah, which Abra-
ham bought with the field for a
possession of a burying-place
of Ephron the Hittite, before
Mamre.
If now I have /owncZ grace in your
eyes, speak, I pray you, in the
5 ears of Pharaoh, saying, My
father made me swear, saying,
Lo, I die : in my grave which I
have digged for me in the land
of Canaan, there shalt thou bury
me. Now therefore let me go
up, I pray thee, and bury my
father, and I will come again.
6 And Pharaoh said. Go up, and
bury thy father, according as he
7 made thee swear. And Joseph
went up to bury his father : and
with him went up all the servants
of Pharaoh, the elders of his
house, and all the elders of the
8 land of Egypt, and all the
house of Joseph, and his brethren,
and his father's house : only their
little ones, and their flocks, and
their herds, they left in the land
9 of Goshen. And -there went up
with him both chariots and
horsemen : and it was a very
10 great company. And they came
to the threshing-floor of Atad,
which is beyond Jordan, and
there they lamented with a great
and very sore lamentation : and
he made a mourning for his
11 father seven days. And when
the inhabitants of the land, the
Canaanites, saw the mourning in
the floor of Atad, they said, This
is a gi-ievous mourning to the
Egyptians : wherefore the name
of it was called Abel-mizraim,
14 which is beyond Jordan. And
Joseph returned into Egypt, he,
and his brethren, and all that
went up with him to bury his
father, after he had buried his
father.
15 And when Joseph's brethren saw
that their father was dead, they
2o6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
E
said, Joseph will peradventure
hate us, and will fully requite
us all the evil which we did unto
16 him. And they sent a messenger
unto Joseph, saying, Thy father
did command before he died,
17 saying, So shall ye say unto
Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee
now, the trespass of thy brethren,
and their sin ; for they did unto
thee evil: and now, we pray
thee, forgive the trespass of the
servants of the God of thy father.
And Joseph wept when they
18 spake unto him. And his breth-
ren also went and fell down be-
fore his face ; and they said, Be-
19 hold, we be thy servants. And
Joseph said unto them, Fear not :
for am I in the place of God ?
20 But as for you, ye meant evil
against me ; but God meant it
for good, to bring to pass, as it
is this day, to save much people
21 alive. Now therefore fear ye
not : I will support you, and
your little ones. And he com-
forted them, and spake kindly
22 unto them. And Joseph dwelt
in Egypt, he, and his father's
house : and Joseph lived a hun-
23 dred and ten years. And Joseph
saw Ephraim's children of the
third generation : the children
also of Machir the son of
Manasseh were born upon
24 Joseph's knees. And Joseph
said unto his brethren, I die :
but God will surely visit you,
and bring you out of this land
unto the land which he sware to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
25 And Joseph took an oath of the
children of Israel, saying, God
will surely visit you, and ye
shall carry up my bones from
26 hence. So Joseph died, being a
hundred and ten years old : and
they embalmed him, and he was
piit in a coffin in Egypt.
EXPLANATORY NOTES
EXPLANATORY NOTES
1. I. In the beginning: Vers. 1-3 have been connected in three
different -ways : (i) as in the text ; (2) " In the beginning, when God
created the heaven and the earth (and the earth was without form . . .
face of the waters), then God said . . . ; " (3) " In the beginning, when
God . . . the earth, then the earth was without form . . ."
As the words God created the heaven and the earth are a summary of
the detailed narrative that follows, the expression m the beginning must
be used absolutely (like iv dpxy, John i. i), and not relatively.
God: The Hebrew word Elohim (which, etymologically, probably
means an object of fear or reverence ; cf. xxxi. 42) is plural in form, but
when used of the God of Israel is generally construed with a singular
attributive or predicate : exceptions are found in Gen. xx. 13, xxxv. 7
(see note) ; Josh. xxiv. 19 ; i Sam. xvii. 26.
2. The dee^j : The mass of surging waters which enveloped the
globe and rendered it waste and void. The origin of this is not
explained.
The spirit of God : cf. Ps. civ. 30, xxxiii. 6. That the word does not
mean "a wind" drying up the waters (as in viii. i) apjjears from (i)
the unsuitableness of the word " brooded " with such a rendering ;
(2) the fact that the separation of the land from the water is the third
creative act.
Brooded: In some cosmogonies the universe is represented as pro-
duced from an egg, and it has been thought that the expression here
used may be a survival from a similar myth.
3. God said : Eight works of creation, distinguished by the words
"God said," are divided between the six days: — (i) Light; (2) the
firmament ; (3) {a) dry land, (6) vegetation ; (4) luminaries ; (5) marine
animals and birds ; (6) {a) land animals, (6) mankind. It has been
conjectured, in consequence, that the original account has been modi-
fied to suit the conception of the week of six days, with a conclu-
ding Sabbath. The words God said are twice used, in addition,
on the sixth day to assign to man (a) his position and work, (6) his
sustenance.
5. One day : The days are reckoned from morning to morning,
according to the Babylonian system (cf. Pliny, H. N. ii. 79, Ijmim diem
alii aliter observavere. Babylonii inter duos solis exortus, Athenienses inter
duos occasus, Umbri a meridie in meridiem). That the daylight was
209 Q
2 10 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
regarded as in some degree independent of the sun (which did not
come into being until the fourth day) appears from Job xxxviii. 19-20.
Evening and morning are named in the order of their succession
after the creation of the light.
6. Firmament: LXX. orep^w^a. The root means "to stamp upon"
(Ezek. \i. II, XXV. 6), and so "to exjiand" by stamjsing, and is iised to
express the making of plates of gold and silver (Exod. xxxix. 3 ; Jer. x. 9).
The concej)tion of the firmament, as determined by the context, seems
that of a solid expanse (c/. Job xxxvii. 18), supporting the upper waters
(Ps. cxlviii. 4) from which the rain descends, and dividing them
from the seas. A similar notion underlies the epithets (nS-qpeo^ and
xdXKeos, used in the Greek poets (c/. Hom. Od. xv. 329 ; 11. xvii. 425).
The matter-of-fact style of the description renders it difficult to regard
its language as consciously figurative, like that of Ps. Ixxviii. 23,
2 Kings vii. 2, and perhaps Gen. vii. 11.
14. For signs : i.e., as indications of the weather and of the quarters
■of the sky. For seasons : i.e., to mark festivals (see on ii. 2).
21. Monsters: In Deut. xxxii. 33 and Ps. xci. 13, the word is used of
"serpents" (parallel to "asp" and "adder;" see also Ex. vii. 9, 10) ; in
Ps. Ixxiv. 13 and Isa. xxvii. i, li. 9, of the crocodile as the symbol of
Egypt ; in Ps. cxlviii. 7 and Job vii. 1 2, of sea-monsters generally.
26. Let us make: cf. iii. 22, xi. 7. The phrase may be a survival
from a polytheistic stage of thought, like the plural form Elohim ; or
it may be purposely used to imply the presence of subordinate celestial
spirits, interested in the creative work {cf. i Kings xxii. ig-22 ; Isa.
vi. 8). The " plural of majesty " to which it has sometimes been re-
ferred, is, in the Bible, only used in connection with Persian or Greek
kings (Ezra iv. 18 ; i Mace. x. 19 ; contrast Gen. xli. 41), and will not
explain iii. 22.
Over all the earth : The insertion of this in the middle of an enumera-
tion of living creatures is peculiar enough to warrant the conjecture
that the word beasts (of) has dropped out after all ; in which case the
passage would accord with ver. 25.
27. Male and female: Though there is nothing in the narrative here
which necessarily indicates that only a single pair of human beings
was created, the belief is certainly implied in c. v. (also P).
29. / have given yon . . . for food: cf. Ovid, Met. i. 104 (of the
Golden Age) Ctmtentiqxie cibis, nullo cogente, creatis, Arhuteos fcetus
montanaque fraga legehant.
II. I. All the host of them: The word host, which elsewhere is only
used in connection with heaven, and probably means the stars (see
Deut. iv. 19, e^c. ; though in i Kings xxii. 19 the host of heaven means
the angels), is extended irregularly to the earth ; the inoi'e ordinary
expression is found in Neh. ix. 6.
2. On the seventh day God ended: The LXX. has rrj rnnipg. rrj ^ktti,
probably a correction to prevent the word ended from being taken to imply
that the Avork of creation extended to the seventh dav. Tlie week of
EXPLANATORY NOTES an
seven days seems to have arisen from the natural division of the lunar
month into four quarters, the new moon and the Sabbath being con-
stantly associated. The connection of the creation with the seven days'
week is in Genesis peculiar to P, and the reference to it in Exod. xx. 1 1
(JE) may be a later insertion, for it does not occur in the corresjDond-
ing passage in Deut. v. 1 2, foil., the writer of which would scarcely have
omitted it if he had before him the passaLje in Exodus as it now exists.
JE, however, contains allusions to the week as a division of time (see
Gen. vii. 10, viii. 10, xxix. 27, 28).
4. Genei-ations : i.e., those who sjiring from any one, and the details
concerning them : here equivalent to " the history of the heavens and
the earth." As the term elsewhere refers to what follows (c/. v. i, vi. 9,
X. i), it has been conjectured that the words these are . . . were
created ought to precede i. i, but have been placed in their present
position by the compiler to connect the accounts of P and JE.
Jehovah : Whatever may have been the earliest signification of this
Divine name, it is in Exod. iii. 14, 15, brought into connection with the
words I am that I am, and must consequently have been regarded as
the 3rd pers. sing, of the subst. verb. The real form of the word was
probably Jahdveh ; but a scrupulous desire to avoid the slightest breach
of the command in Exod. xx. 7 led to the accommodation of its pointing
to that of Adonai (" Lord"). The LXX. renders it regularly by Ki;pios.
7. Of the dust of the ground : A Babylonian myth, quoted by Berosus
(fourth century B.C.), relates that man was formed from earth which
liad been mixed with the blood of the god Bel. Cf. also the story of
the creation of men by Prometheus out of earth mixed with water,
Ovid, Met. i. 80-83.
8. Eastward : i.e., from the Palestinian standpoint of the narrator.
Eden : see Introd. p. 34. In historic times there was a place called
Eden in Assyria (2 Kings xix. 12 ; Isa. xxxvii. 12), and a Beth-Eden
near Damascus (Amos i. 5).
10. A river . . . heads: The river which comes nearest to the descrip-
tion is the Euphrates, which, at a certain point in its course, is united
to the Tigris (tlie Hiddekel) by some small streams, and which, in flowing
through Babylonia, parts into several channels, two of which may be
signified by the Pishon and Gihon. The former seems fixed for the
most westerly of the channels in question by the mention of Havilah,
which was at the east end of the desert that stretched from Egypt to
Assyria (see Gen. xxv. 18). By others, however, the Pishon and Gihon
are identified with the Eulseus (modern Karun) and Choaspes (modern
Kerkhah), two streams which at present join the united waters of the
Euphrates and 'J'igris near the sea ; or the Phasis and Oxus ; or the
Indus and Nile (cf note on ver. 13), the last view representing the four
largest rivers known to the ancient world as having their origin in the
Garden of Eden.
11. Compasseth : Not necessarily like an island, for tlie word is used
of the Israelites marching along the border of Edom (Num. xxi. 4).
212 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
12. Bdellium: Elsewhere only mentioned in Num. xi. 7, of the
appearance of manna. It was probably an aromatic resin ; but the
LXX. here has S-vOpa^ (a precious stone of a dark red colour, such as
the carbuncle or ruby), and in Num. I.e. KpucrraWos. It has also been
taken to mean 2yearl.
Onyx stone : The LXX. here renders by 6 Xldos 6 trpaaivos (perhaps the
emerald), but elsewhere gives smaragdns (possibly also the emerald),
heryl, sardius, and onyx as the equivalents of the Hebrew term.
13. Gush: The country of the Kassi, a people of Babylonia. The
name, however, seems to have been confused with Gush, the modern
Ethiopia ; and in the LXX. of Jer. ii. 18, TtjSv represents the Nile.
14. Hiddekel: LXX. Tiypis {cf. Dan. x. 4.).
East of: Others render this side o/(as viewed from Palestine). The
Tigris, which bisected the country of Assyria, lay west of the chief city,
Nineveh, but east of the earlier capital, Asshur.
20. A help meet for him : Man had no mate, as the other male crea-
tures had. LXX. ^oridbs /car' avrbv and ^orjdbi o/xotos aurw.
23. Woman . . . man : Heb. Isshah . . . Is/i.
24. Therefore shall a man . . . flesh : Probably the comment of the
historian ; cf. xxxii. 32.
III. I. More subtle: cf. Matt. x. 16.
6. To make one tvise: lit. "in order to become wise ;" cf. Ps. ii. 10.
Others render (desirable) to look upon (cf LXX. dipaTou toD Karavo^jcrai)^
but the word seems to express mental regard {cf Deut. xxxii. 29 ; Ps.
xli. i), not sight.
7. Aprons : Or girdles.
8. The cool of the day: lit. "the breeze of the day." Possibly in
primitive times the sound of the wind itself was, in particular cir-
cumstances, regarded as indicating Jehovah's presence ; cf. 2 Sam.
V. 24 (the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry tree^).
15. Bruise: The word occurs in only two other places, Job ix. 17
(where the meaning "crush, bruise," is ai:)propriate) and Ps. cxxxix. 11
(where it is unsuitable, a verb meaning "to cover" being required).
With the rendering of the text, the application of the term to the
serpent is inexact. Others translate lie in ivait for. LXX. T-qp-qaus
. . . T7)pri(ret.
16. Gonception : Since a numerous offspring was regarded in itself as
a blessing, the combination thy pain and thy conception is equivalent to
the pain of thy conception, the latter word serving to define the former
[cf. Ps. xviii., title).
Thy desire : i.e., in spite of the suffering which thy union with him
shall produce. The LXX. has -r) awoarpocpri aov, implying a difference
in the Hebrew.
20. Eve: Heb. havvah, "life." LXX. Zuj-q (though in iv. i it has
Efe).
24. The Cherubim: The Cherubim in the Bible always appear in
connection with the Deity. They are described as winged beings.
EXPLANATORY NOTES 213
acting at one time as the supporters of God's throne and chariot (Ps.
xviii. 10), at another time as His guards and attendants (Ezek. xxviii.
14), whilst in the present passage they perform the analogous function
of keeping, at His command, the way of the tree of life (c/. the treasure-
guarding ypvwes of Greek legend, Hdt. iv. 13, &c.). Representations of
them are stated to have covered the ark in the tabernacle (Exod. xxv. 18-
20), and adorned its curtains (Exod. xxvi. i), and were likewise stationed
within the oracle of Solomon's temple ( i Kings vi. 23). The parallel,
in Ps. xviii. 10, of the "wings of the wind," and their association, in
Gen. iii. 24, with " a flaming sword," which might describe lightning
flashes, make it probable that the conception of the Cherubim was
originally that of the clouds which guarded the portals of the sky and
formed the chariot of the Deity (cf. i Chron. xxviii. 18), or were the
ministers of Divine wrath ; and in general no definite form is ascribed
to them. In Ezekiel, however, the description is fuller and the idea
more complex, the "living creatures " which "are under the God of
Israel " having four wings and four faces — those of a man, a lion, an
ox, and an eagle (Ezek. i. 10, x. 14), and the images of them in the
visionary temple (xli. 18-19) having two faces — those of a lion and a man.
Ezekiel's representation seems to have been influenced by his acquain-
tance with the colossal figures of winged lions and oxen bearing human
heads, specimens of which have been discovered among the ruins of
Nineveh. Such carved colossi were placed at the entrance of temples
and palaces, presumably as the guardian spirits, and the resemblance
between their functions and those ascribed to the Cherubim in other
parts of the Bible would make it natural for the prophet to use some
of their attributes in his own imagery. From a comparison of Ezek.
X. 14 with i. 10, the term Cherub appears to have belonged specifically
to the ox-headed figures, though oxen and cherubim are distinguished
in I Kings vii. 29.
IV. I. And the man : That c. iv., though derived, like c. iii., from
J, does not follow logically upon the latter, appears from its pre-
supposing (i) the existence of a surrounding population from which
Kain obtained his wife and the inhabitants of his city (iv. 17), and
amongst whom he feared to find an avenger of blood ; (2) the develop-
ment of social life, as exhibited in the distinction between pastoral
and agricultural pursuits, and the practice of sacrifice. Much of the
narrative, however, is obscure. Nothing, for instance, is said of the
reason for the Divine preference shown to Abel's offering, nor of
the nature of the sign appointed for Kain. Such features suggest that
the passage is a fragment, the connections of which are lost.
I have gotten : The name is associated with the Heb. kanah, " to get,"
though it is not really derived from it.
TFith the help of Jehovah: cf. xlix. 25 ; LXX. Std rov QeoO.
7. If . . . well . . . if . . . not loell : The words imply that the
different treatment of the two brothers (the reason for which is not
given in vers. 4, 5) was not arbitrary.
214 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
Shall it not be lifted up: lit. "is there not lifting up?" implying
either the raising of the countenance, which had fallen (as in the text),
or the removal of guilt by pardon.
Its desire : Others render ^mto thee shall he his desire, and thou shall
ride over him, comparing iii. 16.
8. Said to Ahel his brother . . . ; The LXX. fills up the lacuna with
AUXdwfiev eis to irebiov.
Slew him : The allusion to the death of Abel by our Lord in Matt,
xxiii. 35 scarcely establishes the historical character of the narra-
tive, as the words " from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the
blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah" (2 Chron. xxiv. 20-22) can only
be intended as a description of the whole of the written history of the
Jews, the books of Chronicles being the last in the Jewish canon, as the
book of Genesis is the first.
1 1. Away from the ground : It is unimportant whether the translation
of the text be adopted (which ver. 14 favours), or the rendering cursed
itrt thou, from the ground {i.e., the curse shall strike thee from the
ground) ; for it is, in any case, implied that the earth, which had
drunk Abel's blood, was thenceforth to be cursed with barrenness, and
so would compel the murderer to become a wanderer.
13. Punishment . . . bear: Another rendering is my guilt is too great
for forgiveness (LXX. fid^oiv 17 ahia fxov tou atpedrivaL), but ver. 14 favours
the translation given in the text.
14. From thy face . . . hid: cf. ver. 16. God's presence is doubtless
associated with Eden, the neighbourhood of which might be regarded
as a sanctuary, in the event of any one seeking to avenge Abel's
murder.
15. Sevenfold: Presumably by the sacrifice of seven lives for one.
16. Land of Nod : Though the description east of Eden implies that
some particular locality is intended, the name itself means nothing
more than " Land of Wandering."
20. The father of: Such a phrase is inconsistent with the idea of a
universal flood following subsequently.
22. Instrument : The word rendered instrument is more appropriate
to the workman than to the implements of his craft, so that possibly
the words father of ought to be supplied ivoiw what precedes, and the
passage translated a forger, the father of every artificer of brass and iron.
23. And Lantech said : The song of Lamech celebrates the invention
of weapons, and implies that the possession of them confers the power
of exacting greater vengeance than that demanded Ity God against any
one wlio might slay Kain.
25. Appointed : Heb. shith, " to appoint."
26. Began men . . . Jehovah: The contrast between this statement and
what is implied in iv. 3 suggests that J has included materials taken
from more than one source ; thovigh it is possible that Abel may be
purposely ignored, as he left no descendants. The Vulgate has iste
{i.e. Enosh) cmpit invocare nomen Domini.
EXPLANATORY NOTES
215
V. I. This is the book : The genealogical table tliat follows (from P)
is parallel to tlie one in iv. 17-24 (J), the former giving the descen-
dants of Seth and the latter those of Kain, though the descent of Seth
and his son from Adam is also mentioned in J (iv. 25-26). The fact
that they consist respectively of seven and ten names (both favourite
numbers in genealogies — cf. xi. 10-27 ; R^ith iv. 18-22), some being
common to both lists, indicates their artificial construction. The
correspondence between them will be seen when they are placed in
columns : —
Adam
Adam
Adam
Seth
Seth
Euosh
Enosh
Kain
Kenan
Mehalalel
Jared
Enoch
Enoch
Irad
Methujael
Methusbael
Methuselah
Lamech
Lamech
Jabal Ju
ibal Tubal-Kain
Noah
Shem
Ham
Japheth.
The narrative in J is something more than a mere enumeration of
persons, and is intended to describe the first beginnings of civilisation
(iv. 20-22). In the table contained in P lives of extraordinary duration
are attributed to the patriarchs mentioned in it — a feature occurring
also in the early legends of other races {cf. Hes. W. d- D. 1 30 (in the
Silver Age) eKarbv nkv -jrals erea trapa ix-qripi. /ceSyg 'Erpe^er" cltoXKoiv /j.eya
vflTTlOi y ivl OiKU}),
The numbers of the years attached to the several names, as given in
the LXX. and the Samaritan version, differ from those preserved in the
Massoretic text, the difference appearing principally in connection with
the age each patriarch reached before begetting his eldest son, and thus
affecting the length of time recorded to have elapsed between the
Creation and the Flood. The received Hebrew text makes this period
to be 1656 years, the LXX. 2242, and the Samaritan version 1307.
24. JValked with God : LXX. evTipecrTrja-e ry 6et^ ; so, too, in vi. g,
xlviii. 15.
And he ^vas not: cf. i Kings xx. 40; Isa. xvii. 14. It is implied
that Enoch, on account of his greater piety, was taken away by God
suddenly, and at an earlier age than that at which the rest of the
patriarchs died {cf. Isa. Ivii. i, and the Greek 5v ot deal (piXoOaiv diro-
evTjffKei veos). The belief expressed in Heb. xi. 5 (which quotes the
LXX. oiix £vpl(TKeTo, oTi fieredrjKeu airhv 6 de6$) that he was translated
2i6 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
without dying, does not seem to be a necessary conclusion from the
Hebrew, though favoured by the substitution for the words and he
died used of the other patriarchs, of the phrase here employed.
29. Comfort : The name Noah is etymologically connected with the
Hebrew nuah, " to rest ; " but is here associated with niham, " to
comfort."
VI. 2. Sons of God: Elsewhere the expression is used of (i) "the
angels " (Job i. 6, xxxviii, 7 ; cf. also Ps. Ixxxix. 6) ; (2) " the people
of God" (Hosea i. 10, xi. i ; Exod. iv. 22 ; Deut. xiv. i ; Ps. Ixxiii. 15).
The second series of passages makes it possible that the words are in-
tended to designate the descendants of Seth {cf. iv. 26), the expression
" daughters of men " being understood to mean the daughters of other
men indiscriminately (cf Jer. xxxii. 20). But it is improbable that the
term onen would be used in ver. 2 in a narrower sense than in ver.
I ; it therefore seems best to regard the passage as describing the inter-
marriage of divine beings with mortal women (cf. Jude 6, 7), and so
resembling the fables of the amours of the gods common in Greek
mythology, though no parallels have hitherto been produced from
Semitic sources.
3. Rule in man : i.e., " My spirit (the breath of life, cf. vii. 22) shall
not for an unlimited period continue to animate man ; and when I
withdraw it he will perish, for he too, like the other creatures, is flesh :
therefore his natural lite shall be shortened to a hundred and twenty
years." For rule the LXX. has ov fiT^ KaTaneivrj, implying a different
original. Other renderings of the text are shall not strive and shall not
he abased.
Because lie also is flesh : LXX. 8ia to elwi avroi/s adpKas. Others,
pointing dift'erently, render in their going astray they become flesh, i.e.,
they lose their spiritual nature, and become wholly carnal ; or mi con-
sequence of their {i.e., the sons of God) going astray, he (man) becomes flesh,
and so, like other flesh, short-lived.
So his days . . . years : Some of the patriarchs are represented (in P)
as having exceeded the limit here named (Sarah's years being 127, Abra-
ham's 175, Isaac's 180, Jacoiys 147). Others render yet his days . . .
years, i.e., there shall be a respite, liefore the threatened punishment
befalls the race, of 120 years. But the comparison of v. 32 with vii. 6
seems to imply that the interval was conceived to be only 100 years.
4. Nephilim : The proper meaning of the word is uncertain, but in
Num. xiii. 33 the Nephilim appear as the ancestors of a race of mighty
men to whom their name had passed. It has been suggested that
the word may be connected with nepliel (an abortion), and so denote
monstrous births. The LXX. has 01 yiyavre^.
The same : i.e., the fruit of the intercourse between " the sons of God "
and the daughters of men.
7. Cattle: The word here seems to include all the larger kinds of
animals (cf. vi. 20 (P), vii. 23 (JE)), wild beasts being first specifically
mentioned in connection with the Flood story in vii. 14 (P).
EXPLANATORY NOTES 217
9. In his generation : i.e., among his contemijoraries.
14. Ark: The same word as that used in Exod. ii. 3, 5.
GojAer wood : Some kind of resinous fir-tree.
15. Cubits: The length of the cubit varied, but seems generally to
have been about 19 inches.
16. 7'o the measure of a cubit : The ojjening is conceived as extending
along every side of the ark, under the roof, a cubit deep.
17. A flood of ivaters : lit. "a flood, even waters," and so in vii. 6.
VII. 2. Clean . . . not clean: The distinction between clean and
unclean animals has relation to the thank-offering mentioned in viii.
20, foil. For the Levitical law relating to the subject see Lev. xi.
By seve7is: The addition, each with its mate, seems to indicate that
seven pairs are intended.
3. Of the fowl: The LXX. reads as in ver. 2, Kal d-n-b tCjv -n-iTeivC^v rod
oipavou tCov KaOapuiv eiTTa eivTa. &p<x€v Kal drjXv, Kal dnb iravruiv ruiv -jreTeLvCiv
tGjv fii] KadapCjv Zvo 8vo 6.p(jev Kal drfKv.
II. The second month : i.e., the month Ziv ( = May) if the ecclesias-
tical year is intended {cf. i Kings vi. i), or Bui ( = November) if the
civil year is followed {cf. i Kings vi. 38).
Fountains of the great deep : Implying a belief in the existence of
subterranean reservoirs from which the seas are fed {cf. Prov. viii. 28 ;
Job xxxviii. 16).
19. All the high mountains: The statement is obviously intended in
the same sense as xli. 57 ; Deut. ii. 25 ; i Kings x. 24.
VIII. 4. Ararat : Armenia, at the foot of Mount Taurus ; cf. 2 Kings
xix. 2i7 { = Isa. xxxvii. 38, where the LXX. has 'Apfievia).
7. The raven : i.e., the one which had been taken into the ark.
9. Found no rest : The dove was a bird of the valleys (Ezek. vii. 16),
which were not yet dry.
13. Six hundredth and first year : The year (for which, and for ten days
beyond, the Flood lasted, according to P) was a solar year of (approxi-
mately) 360 days, as appears from the fact that 1 50 days constitute five
months ; see vii. 1 1 and viii. 3-4.
22. Winter : The term means the first half of the agricultural year,
and is rendered in the LXX. by iap,
IX. 3. As the green herb : Eefers back to i. 29.
4. Flesh with the life thereof, even the blood thereof: The blood is the
vehicle and medium of life ; and the prohibition may be grounded on
the respect due to life as derived ultimately from God.
5. Of your lives : Others render according to your souls.
13. I do set . . . earth: The significance here attached to the rain-
bow is naturally suggested by the circumstances under which it is
uniformly produced.
23. A garment : Such as should have been used as a covering ; cf.
Exod. xxii. 26-27.
24. Younger: Whether the Hebrew should be rendered thus or by
youngest is doubtful. The order of the names in v. 32, ix, 18, and
2i8 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
X. I (but not in the ethnographical table in c. x., which does not take
account of priority of age; cf. x. 22 and xi. 11), points to Japheth
as being the youngest son ; but the natural (though not tlie necessary)
meaning of the original here points to Ham ; cf. i Sam. xvi. 1 1. That
Shem was older than Japheth is certain from x. 2 1 .
25. Canaan: As the text stands, Ham is punished through one of his
sons, just as Noah's son had himself sinned against his father, and Canaan
is named as being, of all the sons of Ham, the one which was eventually
brought into the closest relations with Shem's descendants Israel. But
it is possible that the blessing is derived from a source which made the
three sons of Noah to be Shem, Canaan, and Jajaheth ; and that the
words inver. 18 and 22, which point out the relationship between Ham
and Canaan, are insertions of the compiler to harmonise the two accounts.
His brethren : used loosely for " the brethren of his father ; " cf.
xiii. 8, xxix. 12 (note).
26. Canaan . . . servant : So far as Israel represented Shem, the rela-
tion here indicated was realised by the subjugation of the Canaanites ;
cf. I Kings ix. 20-21.
27. Divell . . . Shem : cf Ps. xlvii. 9. Some take the subject of
dwell to be God.
X. I. TJiese are the generations: This account of the descendants of
the sons of Noah is derived both from P and J, the section of P
forming a complete whole, whereas the parts taken from J contain
nothing respecting Japheth. There appears, however, to be no im-
portant difference between the two sources ; and though discrepancies
exist here and there (cf note on ver. 7), they seem, in the main, to
follow the same lines. The list is a catalogue of nations rather than
of individuals. This appears on the surface in the case of plural
names like Kittim, Dodanini, Ludim, &c. ; but even where the names
are singular, it seems likely that they were intended to haye a col-
lective as much as an individual meaning. That in the enumeration
of the various nations their descent from a single origin is implied is
obvious (see especially x. 32). But the fact that the several peoples
assigned to the different sons of Noah (so far as they can lie identified)
are for the most part contiguous, suggests that geographical position
has modified, if it has not given rise to, the racial connection which
the tradition represents to have existed between them. The survey is
seemingly intended to embrace all the nations (with a few exceptions)
which came within the range of the writer's knowledge. The de-
scendants of Japheth, it will be seen, occupy the northern, those of Ham
the southern, and those of Shem the central countries, as viewed from
a Palestinian standpoint. The arrangement by which the offspring
of Shem are enumerated last and not the first is in accordance with the
principle observed elsewhere {cf. c. xxxvi. and xxv. 12-17) of tracing the
collateral branches before proceeding with the princii^al line of descent.
2. Gomer : Of the sons of Japheth, Gomer represents the most
northerly known peoples {cf. Ezek. xxxviii. 6), the Kifia^pioL of Homer
EXPLANATORY NOTES 219
{Od. xi. 14), who -were driven from their seats in Eurojje by the
Scythians (Hdt. iv. 11). They first became known to the nations of
Western Asia after their defeat by Esarhaddon in 677 B.C., a date
which agrees with the mention of them here in P. Magog, from being
associated with " the isles " or " coastlands " in Ezek. xxxix. 6, has been
taken by some to denote Lydia ((/. Gog and Gyges) ; others identify the
name with the Scythians. Madai stands for the Medes. Javan repre-
sents the lonians of Asia Minor. The name Tubal has been identified
with that of the Tibareni, who lived in Pontus near the Thermodon,
but who appear from Assyrian inscriptions to have previously dwelt
in the districts of Cilicia and Cappadocia. Meshech, if the M6o-xot of
Herodotus (iii. 94), lived near the Phasis, but according to the Assyrian
inscriptions, once extended much farther south. With regard to Tims
nothing is known with certainty.
3. The sons of Govier : The names afi"ord an ample field for conjecture,
but insufficient material for plausible conclusions.
4. The sons of Javan : Elishah has been conjectured to stand for
Hellas {cf. Ezek. xxvii. 7). Tarshish is generally regarded as designa-
ting Tartessus in Spain. (The LXX. here has Qdpaeis, but in Isa. xxiii.
I, Kapxv^i^^, i.e. Carthage.) Kittim are the people of Cyprus {cf. Ezek.
xxvii. 6), the name probably coming from the town of 'K.Itiov. For
Dodanim the LXX. here and the Hebrew of i Chron. i. 7 give Eodanim,
which possibly represents the Rhodians.
5. In their lands . . . nations : This appears to refer to all the sons
of Japheth {cf. ver. 20, 31), so that it is probable that something is
omitted after divided.
6. The sons of Ham : Cush rejjresents the Ethiopians {cf. Isa. xviii. i).
Mizraim is Egypt, the form, which is a dual, referring to the two
halves. Lower and Upper Egypt, called respectively Mazor (Isa. xix. 6,
xxxvii. 25) and Pathros (Isa. xi. 1 1, Jer. xliv. 15). Phut is identified by
the LXX. (Jer. xlvi. 9) Avith Libya, though its position between Mizraim
and Canaan has been thought to point to some place on the east of
Egypt. Canaan denotes the inhabitants of the country west of the
Jordan, especially the lowlands on the Mediterranean seaboard (see
Deut. i. 7). It is here associated with Egypt, perhaps on the ground
of its having once been an Egyptian province.
7. 7'he sons of Cush : Most of the names defy identification, and in
some instances they are placed in a different connection by the two
sources P and J. Havilah and Sheba here (in P) are descendants of
Ham, whilst in vers. 28-29 (J) they are descendants of Shem, with
which the mention of the former in ii. 1 1 (also J) agrees. Dedan, who
is here liicewise a descendant of Ham, is in xxv. 3 (J) made the son
of Abraham, and therefore of the stock of Shem. Conversely in ver. 22
(P) Litd is represented as a son of Shem, whilst the Ludim, ver. 13 (J),
are Hamites, though in this case the terms possibly stand for different
peoples (see notes ad loc). Seba and Sheba are generally identified with
parts of Arabia. For Havilah see note on ii. 10.
220 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
8. GiLsh engendered Nimrod: This connection (in J) of Cush witli
Asia is probably the result of a confusion between the name generally
given to the Ethiopians and the Kassi, a people of Northern Baby-
lonia ; cf. ii. 13.
9. Before Jehovah : Implying pre-eminence ; cf. the Hebrew of Jonah
iii. 3, and the Greek of Acts vii. 20.
10. The beginning of his kingdom: Assyrian religion and Assyrian
culture (it has been said) had their ultimate root in Babylonia, but the
political supremacy of the latter country gradually passed northwards,
until Assyria finally became independent of the mother-country. Babel
is Babylon on the Euphrates. Of Erech (in the native dialect UruTc)
ruins are found in the mounds of Warka, on the left bank of the Lower
Eujihrates. Accad is conjectured to be Agade, which formed, with
Sipar, the double city of Sepharvaim, to the north of Babylon. Calneh
is not identified with certainty. Shinar is South Babylonia, the native
names of which were Sumer and Sunger.
11. Nineveh: Its site is buried under the mounds of Kouyunjik,
opposite the modern Mosul. Calah occupied the site of the modern
village of Nimrud, 18 miles S.E. of Nineveh, at the junction of the
Lycus (Greater Zab) and the Tigris, and was founded by Shalmanes-
sar I. about 1300 B.C. These two, with Ilcsen (which "was between
Nineveh and Calah") and Rehoboth Ir (which means literally "the
broad spaces of the city," and probably denotes a suburb), formed a
network of towns between the Lycus and the Tigris, for which, after
the reign of Sennacherib, the name of Nineveh was comprehensively
employed.
13. Ludim: Possibly a settlement of Lydian mercenaries serving in
Egypt ; cf. Jer. xlvi. 9. Of the other names in this and the following
verse little is known, except that by the Pathrudm are meant the
inhabitants of South Egypt. Elsewhere the Philistines are^connected
with the Ccq^htorim, and not the Casluhim; see Jer. xlvii. 4 ; Amos ix. 7.
15. Sidon his first born: Sidon is stated to have been the first city
built by the Phoenicians. The omission of all mention of Tyre is
curious, as the name of that city is said to occur in the Tel-el-Amarna
Tablets, and it was well known in the time of David ; see 2 Sam. xxiv.
7 ; I Kings vii. 13.
Heth : A people who originally came from the region of Mount Taurus
and the Orontes, and who appear to have occupied Palestine as the
Egyptian rule over that country waned. In P the term is applied to
the population of Palestine generally (see xxvii. 46, and c. xxiii.) ;
but in Judges i. 26 it denotes the country near Lebanon.
16-17. Of the peoples here mentioned, the Jc^Hsi^es were the early
inhabitants of Jerusalem (Judges i. 2 1 ; i Chron. xi. 4) ; the Amorites
occupied the country east of the Jordan and north of the Arnon
(see Num. xxi. 1 3, foil.), though the name is sometimes apjalied like-
wise to the inhabitants of the region west of the Jordan (see xv. 16 ;
Deut. vii. i ) ; and the Hivites were settled near Shechem and in North
EXPLANATORY NOTES 221
Palestine (xxxiv. iv. 2 ; Judges iii. 3). The Girgasliites cannot be identi-
fied witli certainty. Arka and Zemara (Simyra) were towns in Nortli
Phcenicia, near the coast. Arvad (Aradus) was on a small island to the
north of the river Eleutherius. Hamath (later Epiplianeia) was situated
on the Orontes. The Sinites probably lived near Mount Lebanon.
19. Gerar . . . Gaza: The latter place was one of the five great
Philistine cities (i Sam. vi. 17), whilst Gerar lay near it, towards the
south.
Sodom . . . Zehoiim: See note on xix. i.
Lasha : Generally identified Avith Calirrhoe, near the east shore of the
Dead Sea.
22. Elam . . . Aram: The country of Elam was the mountainous
region near the head of the Persian Gulf, termed by Greek geographers
Susiaiia {cf. Dan. viii. 2) ; Asshur represents Assyria ; and Aram,
Syria and Mesopotamia. What is indicated by Lad is unknown (the
Lydians of Asia Minor seem to be excluded by their westerly position).
Arpachsliad probably stands for some part of Babylonia {cf. Ghasdim).
23-30. Of the names in these verses, the only ones which can be con-
jecturally identified are Slieha, which stands for the Sabjeans (cf. xxv.
3) ; Ojjhir, which is supposed to be the country near the mouth of the
Indus, from which gold and valuable woods were obtained (i Kings
X. 11); and Havilah, for which see note on ii. 10. There is no
mountain Sephar, but a town called Saphar was situated in the extreme
south-west of Arabia.
25. For in his clays . . . divided: Heb. pulag, "to divide."
XL I. And the whole earth, <i:c. : The purpose of this section (vers. 1-9)
seems to be to explain the origin of the existing differences between
nation and nation, which are in apparent conflict with the unity of race
insisted on in c. x. There seems to be an anticipatory reference to it in
X. 25 ; but the account of Babel in xi. 4-9 occurs awkwardly after the
mention of it in x. 10 ; whilst the statement in ver. i is out of place after
the recognition in x. 20, 31 (P) of a diversity of tongues. Independent
parallels to the account of the confusion of tongues have not yet been
discovered.
2. Journeyed : The point of departure is not mentioned, but the migra-
tion is probably conceived as taking place from the land of Ararat (viii. 4).
A jplain in the land of Shinctr: i.e., Babylonia; (/. Hdt. i. 178, Ba/3uXwv
. . . KieraL ev ireUcfi fxeydXixi. The absence of rock rendered the use of brick
necessary. The story that follows was probably suggested by the tower
(of ancient construction) which formed the temple of Belus (see Hdt. i.
181), and the ruins of which have been found at Borsippa.
4. A city and a tower: The city would bind them together by bring-
ing them into closer contact with one another, and the tower would
strengthen common feelings of pride.
Wliose top . . . heaven: cf. Deut. i. 28, ix. i.
9. Babel: The native meaning of the name, as appears from the
Assyrian inscriptions, is Bab-ilu "the gate ( = court) of God ;" but in
222 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
the text it is brought into connection with the Heb. bdlal, " to con-
found." LXX. Si;7xi'<ns.
lo. These are . . . of Shem : The genealogical table of Shem's descend-
ants resembles that of Adam in c. v., and, like it, ends in a father (Terah)
of three sons. The parallelism is increased in the LXX. by the inter-
polation, after Arpachshad, of the name Ka'Cvav from v. lo, which makes
the list, like the other, contain ten members instead of nine. The table
exhibits a prolongation of life similar to that observed in c. v. ; but
the birth of the first child is placed at a very much lower and more
natural age, and the longevity decreases as the record draws nearer more
historical times. Here, as in c. v., the figures given in the received
Hebrew text differ from those of the Samaritan version and of the LXX.
Two years after tite flood : Since Noah begat Shem in his 500th year
(ver. 32), and the Flood took place in Noah's 600th year, the 100 years
here named as the age of Shem is a round number for 102.
28. Ur of the Ghaldees : Its ruins have been discovered at El Mugheir,
on the right bank of the Lower Euphrates. It was a residence of early
Babylonian kings and a city of great importance. It has been objected
to the connection here indicated between Abraham and L^r that in xxiv.
4, 7 (also J) Abraham himself alludes to Haran as his native place ;
cf. Deut. xxvi. 5. Possibly, however, the words there may be used
loosely in the sense of a home.
31. They went forth with them: The absence of any antecedent to
which the plural them can be referred makes it probable that the text
is corrupt, and should be corrected into he led them forth, after the
LXX. e^rjyayev auTovs.
Haran : In N.W. Mesopotamia, the Carrce of Latin historians. Its
site is still marked Ijy ruins.
32. Died: The death of Terah is here mentioned by anticipation.
That it really took place after Abraham left Haran appears from the
fact that Terah, who was seventy when he begat Abraham (xi. 26), could
only have been 145 when Abraham departed from Haran at the age of
seventy-five (xii. 4).
XII. 2. Become thou a blessing: cf. ver. 3; Zech. viii. 13; Isa. xix.
24, 25.
3. By thee . . . bless themselves : cf. xlviii. 20, Ps. Ixxii. 17, and contrast
Jer. xxix. 22. The primary sense of the passage is determined by xxii.
18, xxvi. 4 (where the verb is reflective) ; but see Introd. p. 66.
6. The i^lace of Shcchem : i.e., the Shechem mentioned in xxxiv. 2.
The locality was between Mount Ebal and Mount Girizim, and is
occupied by the modern Nablus.
Moreh may possibly not be a proper name, but mean teacher, the
terebinth getting its appellation from being the seat of some seer who
gave instruction there : cf. Judges ix. 37 (marg.), and the name E7i-
mishiMt (Well of Judgment), xiv. 7.
8. Bethel: The place was so named subsequently (xxviii. 19). It was
.situated twelve miles north of Jerusalem.
EXPLANATORY NOTES 223
Ai : That Ai was near Bethel ai:)pears from its close association with
it in Ezra ii. 28, but its exact situation is unknown.
9. The South: The southern part of what was afterwards the territory
of Judah (Jer. xiii. 19). The LXX. here has eV ti^ epw'^, but in xx. i,
et's TTiv wpbs Xt/3a.
II. Fair : Sarah at the time was sixty-five (xvii. 17, compared with
xii. 4).
13. My sister : See xx. 12.
15. Pharaoh: lit. "the great house," used as the title of Egyptian
kings up to the time of the Persian conquest ; cf. the j^hrase " The
Sublime Porte." The king in question was presumably one of the
Hyksos ; cf. on xl. i .
16. Camels: No representation or mention of camels is found (it is
said) on early Egyptian monuments.
17. Plagued Pharaoh: The plagues probably preserved Sarah's
chastity ; cf. xx. 6, 17.
XIII, I, TVent up: i.e., from the Nile valley to the south of Canaan.
3. Bethel : cf. note on xii. 8.
4. At the first: See xii. 7.
7. Canaanite . . . Perizzite : For Canaanite see on x. 6. The
Perizzites seem to have been a closely allied nation ; cf. Judges i. 4.
From their association with the Reiihaim in Josh. xvii. 15, it has been
supposed that, like the latter, they were an aboriginal race ; see on
xiv. 5.
10. The Plain of Jordan: lit. "Circle of the Jordan" (LXX. ttji'
irepixtapov Tov 'lopddvov), the valley on either side of the Jordan from
Lake Chinnereth to the Dead Sea. The neighbourhood of Bethel,
from its high position (i Sam. xiii. 2 ; cf. Judges iv. 5), commanded
an extensive prospect.
Zoar : See on xix. 22.
18. Hebron: About fifteen miles south of Jerusalem. Its earlier
name was Kiriath-Arba ; see xxiii. 2 ; Judges i. 10.
XIV. I. Shinar : Properly South Babylonia, but applied by the
Biblical writers to Babylonia in general (cf x. 10, xi. 2, and the LXX. of
Isa. xi. 1 1 ). For the possil^le origin of the narrative, see Introd. p. 47.
Ellasar : Called in the cuneiform inscriptions Larsa, a town in Lower
Babylonia, between the Euphrates and Tigris.
Elam : See note on x. 22.
Goyim : The vagueness of the term (which simply means nations) has
led to the conjecture that it is a mistake for Gutim, i.e., Gutium, a
country lying to the north of Babylonia.
3. The vale of Siddim : It seems probable that the writer believed
the vale of Siddim to have been subsequently covered by the waters of
the Dead Sea. This, however, is a mistake, if the cities of the Plain
were situated (see note on xix. i ) at the north end of the lake, as the
northern portion, by its geological character, could not have been
formed by subsidence in such relatively recent times.
The Salt Sea : The Dead Sea is forty-six miles long and nine miles
224 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
broad, and its surface is more than 1300 feet below the sea-level.
Its northern half is 1700 feet deep, but the southern jiortion is very
shallow. The coast is encrusted with salt.
5. Tlie Rephaim, d:c. : Rephaim seems to have been the common
appellation of the aboriginal inhabitants of Moab and Amnion (Deut.
ii. 9-21), the JEmim occupying the former territory. The Horites were
the primitive possessors of Mount Seir, subsequently dispossessed by
the Edomites. The Zuzim may possibly be identical with the Zam-
zummim named in Deut. ii. 20 (c/. Introd. p. 48). All these early
races were believed to have been of gigantic stature {cf. 2 Sam. xxi. 1 6,
marg.) ; LXX. 01 7i7acTes.
Ashteroth Karnaim : Pi-obably the same as Ashtaroth, in Bashan
(Deut. i. 4). In Deut. iii. 11, 13, Og the king of Bashan is described
as being of the remnant of the Rephaim.
Ham : Conjectured to be Kabbah in the country of the Ammonites.
The LXX.'s a/ta avroh implies a different pointing of the Hebrew.
Kiriathaim : Believed to have been situated a little to the north of
the river Arnon.
6. Seir: The range of hills extending from the Dead Sea to the
Elanitic gulf.
El-paran : Probably the town situated at the northern extremity of
the Elanitic gulf, the Elalh or Eloth of later history (i Kings ix. 26 ;
2 Kings xiv. 22).
7. En-mislipat . . . Kade^h : Probably Kadesh-Barnea, on the border
between Edom and what was afterwards the territory of Judah (Num.
XX. 16 ; Josh. XV. 3). The spring which gave the place its earlier name
(" Sjjring of Judgment ") still exists. The country of the Amalekites was
the desert lying to the south of Palestine ; see Num. xiii. 29. For the
Amorites see on x. 1 6.
Hazezon-tamar : The same as Engedi (see 2 Chron. xx., 2), on the
western shore of the Dead Sea. The invaders, advancing from the
north-east, after traversing Bashan and the country east of the Jordan
and the Dead Sea, reached El-paran, and then turning north and west,
passed successively En-mishpat, Hazezon-tamar, and the cities of the
Plain (see xix. i, note), finally retiring towards Damascus (ver. 15).
13. The Hebrew : An appellation that alludes to the previous abode of
the race on the other side of the Euphrates ; LXX. 6 irepdTTjs.
14. Led forth: LXX. -ripid/xriae.
Ban: As the city did not receive the name until after its con-
quest by the Danites (Josh. xix. 47 ; Judges xviii. 29), it is possible that
the use of it here originated in a gloss (similar to those which occur
elsewhere in the chapter), which has taken the place of the name by
which it was then known.
15. Jlobah: Placed by some between Damascus and Palmyra.
Others identify it with a village very near the former city.
17. TheKing^s Vale: The j)lace where Absalom erected a pillar for
himself (2 Sam. xviii. 18), possibly the valley of the Kidron, near
Jerusalem, though this was rather a torrent-ravine (or AVady).
EXPLANATORY NOTES 225
1 8. Salem: Probably Jerusalem; see Ps. Ixxvi. 2, and cf. the con-
ni'ction of Adoni-zedek with Jerusalem (Josli. x. i). Others identifv it
with the SaUm mentioned in John iii. 23.
Priest: A king of Jerusalem is mentioned in the Tel-el-Amarna
Taljlets as owing his appointment to an oracle that was on Mount
]\Ioriah, and perhaps possessing both priestly and royal dignity.
(hd Most Hujh : Heb. El Elyon; cf. El Shaddai, El Beth-el, Bab-el
(xi. 9, note). The idea expressed by the name El seems to have been
that of " strength."
20. Of all : i.e., of all the spoil.
22. Lifted U2:) my hand: i.e., "I swear ;" cf. Dan. xii. 7.
XV. I. After these tlmxgs : The chapter relates two distinct occur-
rences— (i) vers. 1-6 ; (2) 7-21. This appears from the fact that in the
first section what is narrated takes place at night (see ver. 5), whilst
the events of the other begin before sunset (ver. 12).
2. / go : i.e., "I am departing childless ;" cf. Ps. xx.xix. 13. Others
render / am childless.
Damascus: i.e., Damascus will inheint my possessions when Eliezer,
to whom they will fall, returns thither. Some versions have Elie::er
the Damascene.
9. A heifer . . . young }ngeon: All five animals were among those
offered in sacrifice according to the Mosaic law.
13. Four hundred years. ) With the statement of ver. 13 the nuniber
16. 7'he fourth generation. ) given in Exod. xii. 40 (t/. Gal. iii. 17)
approximately coincides, whilst with that of ver. 16 agree the genealogies
in Exod. vi. 16-20, Num. xxvi. 5-9, and (less exactly) Num. xxvi. 59.
P>ut vers. 13 and 16 harmonise with each other only if generation be
taken to represent a much longer period than it is usually reckoned
to be. In the Samaritan version and the LXX. of Exod. xii. 40, the
sojourn of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Canaan is in-
cluded in the 430 years there mentioned. Eut this modified reading
is suspicious, as the mention of the wanderings in Canaan seems out of
place in connection with the Exodus.
17. A smoking furnace: The movement of the smoking furnace and
fiery torcli between the portions of the slaughtered victims marked the
Divine inauguration of the Covenant, it being the custom for the con-
tracting parties in a covenant to pass between portions of a slaughtered
victim, imprecating a like death upon themselves in the event of their
dealing falsely ; cf. Jer. xxxiv. 18. In some cases the i:)arties shared a
common sacrificial meal ; Gen. xxxi. 46.
1 8. liiver of Egypt : More commonly termed the " brook of Egypt '
(as in I Kings viii. 65 ; Isa. xxvii. 12) — the Wady el-Aris, which flows
through the peninsula of Sinai, and falls into the Mediterranean.
Others understand the expression to denote the Nile.
19. The Kenite, ckc. : The Kenites lived in the South country, and are
mentioned in later history in connection with Judah (Judges i. 16) and
tlie Anialekites (i Sam. xv. 6). The Ketmzites and the Kadmnnites were
F
226 I'HE BOOK OF GENESIS
jiresumably kindred Bedouin tribes. Caleb's? fatlier, wlio was included
in the tribe of Judali, was a Kenizzite (Josh. xiv. 6\ For the remaining
names see notes on x. 6, 15, 16, xiii. 7, xiv. 5.
XVI. 4. Despised: For the contempt which bai'renness carried with
it, cf. XXX. 23.
7. Tlie amjd of Jehovah : For the most j^art, angels in the Bible are
regarded a,s real persons (e.r/., in xxviii. 12, xxxii. i, and especially 24,
25), occasionally eA'en being identified in some degree Mutli the Deity
Himself (as here, cf. ver. 13 ; and see xviii. 2, note ; xlviii. 15, 16) ; but
in some jiassages they seem to be nothing more than the personification
of Divine Providence {e.g., xxiv. 40, 42), or of natural agencies fulfilling
the Divine pui'poses (Ps. civ. 4 ; cf. 2 Sam. xxiv. 15, 16).
Hhur: A place on the eastern frontier of Egypt, which the Isi'aelites
reached soon after crossing the Red Sea (Exod. xv. 22 ; cf. Gen. xx. i).
11. Islimael : lit. "God heareth," from .^ihuuia, "to heai,'' and El,
"God."
12. A wild man : lit. "a wild ass of a man."
/n the presence of: i.e., close to his brethren, tliough independent
of them. Others render east of; cf. xxv. 18 (Shur hefare Egypt),
I Kings xi. 7 (the Mount of Olives before Jerusalem).
13. God of seeing : i.e.. one whose eye the helpless does not escape.
Jl^ven here : i.e., a spot with no sacred associations.
Looked after : She was not allowed to see His face, but she had looked
after Him as He passed from her ; cf. Exod. xxxiii. 23.
14. IJeer-lahai-roi: i.e., "the well of the Living One, my beholder."
The epithet, however, as applied to God, seems to have no relation
to the preceding context ; and a change in the pointing and the accents
would perhaps yield the sense the well of the living one of seeing, i.e.,
where a human being had seen God and lived (the general belief being
that any one who saw God died : see Exod. xix. 21 ; Judges xiii. 22).
Betioeen Kadesh and Bered : A spot, still supplied with water, on the
road from Beersheba to Shur and Egypt, has been identified with the
well in question. For Kadesh see note on xiv. 7 ; the situation of
Bered is not precisely known.
XVII. I. Almiglity : Heb. Shaddai, probably an adjective formed
from a root akin to the verb shddad, "to be powerful, violent "' (rf Joel
i. 15), but regarded by the Rabbins as meaning "the All-Sufiicient,"
with which the iKav6^ of the LXX. in Job xxi. 1 5 agrees.
5. Ahram: i.e., "the father is exalted." Abraham appears to be a
modification of Abram, intended to assimilate the latter i)art to tin-
word hftmon, "multitude," so that the word might suggest the moaning
" father of a multitude of nations."
10. Circumcised: Circumcision is a rite which existed in early times
among several of the peoples of Asia and Africa, notaV)ly the Arabians,
Egyptians (Hdt. ii. 37 ; cf Josh. v. 2-9), Ethiopians, and the inhabitants
of Palestine (Hdt. ii. 104) (with the exception of the Pliilistines, 2 Sam.
i. 20), and has been observed to prevail among certain tri1;es in Cen-
EXPLANATORY NOTES 227
tr'al and South America and in the Pacific Islands. The use of it niav
be due in some instances to considerations of cleanliness (c/. Hdt. ii. 37,
the Egyptians tA aioola vepiTdfivovrai KadapiorrjTos e'iveKev) ; ill others,
perhajjs, to a desire to promote procreative vigour (for among the
A rabiaus it was performed at the age of puberty, before marriage, in
which connection it appears in Exod. iv. 25, where Zipporah, the wife
of ]\]oses, is represented as circumcising her son by way of substitution
for her husband, who thereby became " a bridegroom of blood "). ] n
certain cases, however, as in that of the Hebrews, religious associations
became attached to it ; and it is possilile that at au early stage of
religious development it was intended (like the redemption-money
paid for the first-born, Exod. xiii. u, foil.) as a substitute for a greater
sacrifice, a part of the body being offered to the Deity, who had a claim
on liuman life, instead of the whole (c/. Exod. iv. 24). The prominent
place it continued to hold throughout in so elevated a religion as that
of the Jews was doubtless due, on the one hand, to the fact that it
served as a badge of distinction for the worshippers of Jehovah from
certain of the neighbouring tribes {e.g., the Philistines), and, on the
other hand, to the ethical considerations which would readily gather
round it, the laying aside of moral impurity being so naturally symbo-
lised by such a mutilation : Deut. x. 16, xxx. 6 ; Jer. iv. 4. That the
rite, as implied here, was of pre-Mosaic origin, appears also from c.
xxxiv., and from the fact that it is not enacted in the law, hut pre-
supjiosed ; see Exod. xii. 44 ; Lev. xii. 3.
15. Sarai . . . Sarah: The two words probably both signify "prin-
cess," the latter being the normal form (from sar, "prince''), and the
former possibly a dialectic peculiarity, but taken here to mean " con-
tentious," from sdrah, "to strive."
19. Isaac : From tsdiiah, " to laugh ; " seemingly associated by P (xvii.
17) with Abraham's laughing in mockery ; by J (xviii. 12) with Surah's
laughing in mockery ; and by E (.\xi. 6) with Sarah's laughing from joy.
XVIII. 2. Three men: Jehovah is conceived as speaking through
each of the three angels indifferently. He speaks alike when the three
jnen are present with Abraham (xviii. 16-17), when one is left after
the departure of the others for Sodom (xviii. 22; cf. xix. i), and
when the two at Sodom hold converse with Lot (xix. 17-18).
6. Measures: lit. seahs, a seah being one-third of an ej^hah. The
capacity of the latter is uncertain, but, according to tlie Rabl)ins, was
about 4^ English gallons.
17-19. S'lull I hide, d-c. : The destruction of the cities of the Plain,
if the reason for it were imparted to Abraham, might serve as an object
lesson to dispose his house to keep the way of Jehovah, and so secure
the jjromised blessing.
19. Known him: i.e., noticed him and admitted him to intimate
communion {cf. Amos iii. 2).
20. Because . . . great : oi-, Surelg the cry . . . is great.
XIX. I. Sodom : The situation of Sodom and Gomorrah seems, from
228 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
the indication given in xiii. lo-ii, where they are represented as being
in sight from a spot between Bethel and Ai (ver. 3), and lying to the
east, in the valley of the Jordan (ver. 1 1 ), to have been at the north end
of the Dead Sea, though the name Usdum survives in connection with
a spot at the south of the lake. The cause of their destruction seems to
have been an eruption of bitumen, in which the neighbourhood abounds.
Probably there existed large reservoirs of inflammable gas under the
surface, which became by some means broken up (possibly by a tremor of
earthquake) ; and the escaping gas and petroleum, on becoming ignited
(perhaps by lightning), would create a conflagration which would easily
destroy towns of a primitive construction. After the eruption, the
district would naturally present an appearance like that described in
Deut. xxix. 23 (where Admah and Zeboiim are included in the cities
destroyed).
14. TVIlich Itad married : cf. LXX. tous elXrjcpoTai ras dvyaripas avToO.
Others, vMch were to marry ; cf. Vulgate, qui accepturi erant Jilias eins.
17. Look not behind thee': i.e., to avoid seeing what it miglit prove
fatal for a mortal to behold ; cf. note on xvi. 13.
22. Zoar : i.e., "little," from Heb. tsdar, "to be little," its earlier
name being Bela (xiv. 2). The preservation of Zoar from the fate
which is represented as having overtaken Sodom is perhaps in favour
of its situation being placed at the south-east corner of the Dead Sea,
where the name (Segor) is said to have existed in the time of tlie
Crusades. In Wisd. x. 6 the calamity is extended to five cities, Zoar
probably being included, from its mention in Gen. xiv. 2.
26. A pillar of salt : At the south-west extremity of the Dead Sea
there is a ridge, consisting mainly of crystallised rock-salt, buttresses
of which sometimes become detached, forming isolated columns. Some
such pillar may have strengthened, if not occasioned, the belief ex-
pressed in the text. To the story of Lot's wife our Lord referred in
warning His hearers against delay in seeking escape from impending
destruction. As the allusion served equally well to indicate the kind
of conduct against which the warning was directed, whether the story
was well founded or not, the historical character of the nari-ative seems
left an open question (Luke xvii. 32).
37. Moab : Suggestive of the Hebrew for " begotten from my fatlier ; "
]>XX. e/f Tov irarpbs fiov.
38. Ben-ammi: i.e., "son of my people"' — the offspring of parents
of tlie same stock ; LXX. vl6s yivovs fiov.
XX. I. Ger>ir : South of Gaza ; cf. x. 19,
2. Sarah : Sarah was now ninety according to P (see xvii. 17).
12. Sister: In 2 Sam. xiii. 13 it seems to be implied that such unions
were recognised even in David's time ; but they are among those pro-
hibited by the Levitical law ; if. Lev. xviii. 9 ; Deut. xxvii. 22 ; Ezek.
xxii. II.
16. Covering of the eyes: i.e., "Consider this something which Avill
tender those with thee blind to any dishonour thou mayeist seem to
EXPLANATORY NOTES 229
have incurred;" cf. xxxii. 20, where / will aj^peasi; him is literally, " I
will cover his face."
XXI. 12. In Isaac . . . called: i.e., those of his descendants to
whom, in particular, his name was to pass, and who were to inherit
the Divine promises made to him, should be of Isaac's line ; cf. Isa.
xli. 8 ; John viii. 33 ; Acts xiii. 26.
14. Beersluha: An anticipatory use of the name, first bestowed under
the circumstances described in ver. 31. Suljsequently the place was
included in Judah but possessed by Simeon (Josh. xv. 28, xix. 2).
1 5. Cast the child : The words, together with the ex])ressions lift uji
the lad (ver. 18) and he ; rew (ver. 20), seem to imply that Ishmael was
young enough to be carried by his mother ; but P represents him as
being thirteen years old before Isaac was born (xvii. 25).
20. And became an archer : Or, he was groiriiaj up an archer. Others
render, he became a shooter, a bowman.
21. Paran: Probably the desert extending from the Gulf of Suez
in the west to the country of Edom in the east, and from the mountain
of Sinai in the south to the borders of Judtea in the north.
31. Beersheba : Properly "the well of seven," from shcbn, "seven"
(see ver. 28), but here brought by the following words into connection
with the verb nis-iba, "to swear,'' an etymology repeated in xxvi. 31-33.
XXII. 2. One of the mountains : Identified hj Jewish tradition with
Mount Moriah, upon which the Temple was built (2 Chron. iii. i). The
name Moriah is associated in point of sound, if not of etymology, with
the appellation contained in ver. 14, and in 2 Chron. I.e. is connected
with the appearance of the angel of Jehovah to David on the threshing-
floor of Oman. The LXX., however, renders the Land of Moriah
(ver. 2) by rrjv y^v tt}v v\pTi)\riv ; and as it has ttj^ bpvu rr]v v\p7]ki]v for the
terebinth of Mornh (xii. 6), but ' Afioipeia in 2 Chron. I.e., it is possible
that the neighbourhood of Shechem (whei-e the terebinth of Moreli
stood), and not Jerusalem, was the scene of the sacrifice.
4. On the third day: The distance from Beersheba to Jerusalem, by
way of Hebron, is about forty miles ; from the former place to Shechem,
between sixty and seventy.
13. Behind liim : The LXX. has k/sws ets, implying a difteience in the
Hebrew of a single letter.
14. Jehovah Jireh: "Jehovah sees," i.e., notices and interj^oses in
time of need {cf. xvi. 1 3). The expression recalls the words of Abraham
in ver. 8.
He manifeds Hims>ir : Others render, it shaU be pr>'tid:il. But; if
the Hebrew accents are disregarded, the natural rendering of the text,
as pointed, is hi the nno'mt Jehovah manifests Himself (LXX. ev rif 6pfi.
Ki'ptos wcpdi])^ and, with "different jjoints. In the vnunl Jehnvah sees
(Vulgate, In monie Dorninus videbit).
20. Hath, heme children: Of the following names, C7?.- and Aram
occur in a dift'erent connection in x. 22, 23 (P). Bu:c is associated in
Jei-. XXV. 23 with Dedan and Tenia ; see on xxv. 2, 13. Ohesed is con-
230 THE BOOK OF (GENESIS
nected with Clialdsea (Heb. Cliasdim). For Bdhuel see xxiv. 15 (.1),
x.w. 20 (P). The rest are unknown.
XXIII. I. The life of Sarah: An Sarah was ninety wlien Isaac Avas
born, the latter was now thirty-seven, so tliat a considerable interval is
conceived as having elapsed between the events of this chapter and
chap, xxii., where Isaac was still "a lad." By this time Abraham had
left Beersheba (xxii. 19) for Hebron. The previous name of the lattei'
place (Kiriath Ai-ba) was derived from the name of an early ruler, who
was one of the aboriginal giants (Josh. xiv. 15, xv. 13 ; Judges i. 10).
Hebron was eighteen miles south of Jerusalem, between that city and
Beersheba.
5. Sayiiifi unto /niu : The combination is rare (though it occurs in
Lev. xi. i), and accordingly the text is pointed by some so as to give
tlie meaning, xayi g, Pray, hear us (</. ver. 13). The LXX. here has /j-v,
Kvpte, and in ver. 1 5, oi^x', Kvpie.
9. Machpelali : That this is the name of the district, and not of tlie
cave, appears from ver. 17. A mos(]^ue is now built over wliat is sup-
]iosed to be the place of burial, near Hebron.
16. Shekel: A little less than half an ounce avoirdupois.
Current money : Merchants may have put a mark upon bars of gold
and silver to signify that they were of full weight, as is said to have
been done by tlie Phcenicians. LXX. TeTpaKocia 5i5pttx/xa dpyvplov doKi/.Loxi
i/xirSpoLS.
XXIV. 2. Under my thigh: The act seems to be symbolic of subor-
dination and a promi.se of obedience, or it may imply an appeal to the
posterity (c/. the expression in xlvi. 26) of the person touched to avenge
the infraction of the oath.
10. Aram Naltaraim : lit. " Aram of the two rivers,'"' the region lying
between the Tigris and Euphrates, afterwards called Mesopotamia,
which is the rendering of the LXX. Others limit it to thetdistrict
between the Euphrates and the Chaboras.
22. Nose-riny: See ver. 47. The LXX. has eVcixia ; and in ver. 47,
VfpiedrjKf avTri to, ivdma.
Half a sheh'l : About a quarter of an ounce. LXX. Spaxp-ri-
48. Brother: More accui'ately, " brother's son ;" c/. xiv. 16, xxix. 12.
53. Previous thimjs : The gifts (mohar) from the bridegroom to the
relatives of the maiden (c/. xxxiv. 12 ; i Sam. xviii. 25), parallel to the
Greek HSva.
62. From the way of Beer-kihai-roi : The LXX. has oieiropevcTo Sia rfjs
(pr)f/.ov Kara rb <t>peap rrji opdcrem (see XXV. ii). Though the Servant was
despatched by Altraham, he is rejjresented as returning to Isaac.
63. 7'o meditate : Or to lament ; see ver. 67 (end).
XXV. I. Another ivife: It seems probable (see ver. 6) that Keturah
was Abraham's concubine during the life of Sarah, and not merely
after the latter's death.
2. And she bare him : Of the names tliat follow, Sheha may represent
the Sabcieans. /)edan is connected with Arabia in Isa. xxi. 13, and
EXPLANATORY NOTES 231
■witli Edom in Jer. xlix. 8. Tlie Miih'anites (witli Avliom the MeddnHes
are identified in xxxvii. 28, 36) lived in tlie neighbourhood of Sinai
and Moab(Exod. ii. 1 5 ; Num. xxii. 4). EpJiah is associated with Midian
in Isa. Ix. 6.
6. Concabii'es : Keturah (c/. i Cliron. i. 32), and (i)rohalj]y) Hagar.
The east country : Arabia.
13. Sons of Ishmael: Nehoioth (Isa. Ix. 7) may perhap.s represent the
Kabat^eans, whose capital was Petra. The people of Kedar (Isa. xxi.
16 ; Jer. xlix. 28), Dmnali, and Ten, a (Isa. xxi. 14) occupied the Arabian
desert which stretched from Babylonia to Egypt. Jetur and Naphish
were neighbours of Israel on the east of the Jordan (i Cliron. v. 19).
18. Shur : See note on xvi. 7.
Ill the presence of: See note on xvi. 12.
25. Esau: From a verb meaning "to be hairy,"' the existence of
Avhich is said to be probably from the Arabic.
26. Jacob : From ukah, " to take by the heel." The form Jacoh-el has
been found in an Egyptian inscription, so that it is possible that Jacob
is shortened from this, as Nathan is from Nat/'an-el, in which case the
name perhaps means " ((Tud) rewardeth ; ' cf. the Heb. of Ps. xix. 11 (12).
Isaac . . . old: Isaac and his wife had been married twenty yeais
(ver. 20).
30. Edom: From adorn, "red." Here the name is explicitly con-
nected with the red pottage, but the language of ver. 25 suggests that
the appellation was due to his ruddy colour when born.
31. First: lit. "this day ;" cf. i Kings i. 51, xxii. 5.
Birthright : Involving the claim to be head of the family, to whom
would fall the blessing of Abraham (xxviii. 4). In later times it carried
with it the larger portion of the inheritance (Deut. xxi. 17).
XXVI. I. The first famine : See xii. 10.
18. The wdls . . . his fatUr: The only wells which Abraham is
recorded to have digged were at Beersheba (xxi. 25-31), not Gerar.
20. Esek : From i/sak, " to strive."
21. Sitnah : ?'.«'., "enmity."
22. Rehohoth: *'.«.," roomy sjiaces."
34. Took to icife : Though these verses, together with xxviii. 9, seem
to be taken from P (see crit. note), they contain, together an account of
Esau's marriage at variance with that given (apparently also by P) in
xxxvi. 2-3 (see note there).
XXVII. 5. To IruKj it: LXX. roJ Trarpl avTov, implying a different
Hebrew original.
13. Upon me be tlnj curse: Eebekah doubtless remembered what had
been foretold respecting her younger son's future pre-eminence over
his brother (xxv. 23).
1 5. Goodly raiment : The giving of the blessing partook of a religious
character, which rendered such change of attire necessary ; cf. xxxv. 2.
27. The smell (f a field . . . blessed: i.e., of a field fragrant with
lierbs and flowers ; cf. Cant. iv. 11 ; Hos. xiv. 6.
232 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
28. The dew : Ui)on this the fertility of a couutiy like Palestine
largely depends ; c/. Dent, xxxiii. 13, 28 ; Hos. xiA\ 5.
33. Yea, and he. shall be blessed : For the belief in the efiectiveness of
a blessing or curse once pronounced, cf. Num. xxii. 6.
36. Jacob: The name is here brought into connection with the
secondary meaning of the verb ukab (see xxv. 26), " to overreach."
38. Hast thou . . . blessing: lit. "Is it thy one blessing?"
39. Far from the fatness : That this is the true rendering, and not nf
the fatness, appears from tlie following words, by thy sirord slialt th^u
live, which imply that Esau's source of maintenance is not to be the
])eaceful occupation of agriculture ; and this is confirmed by the lan-
guage of the prophets Malachi (i. 3) and Obadiah (3), with whose
account of Edom the present condition of the country, as described by
modern travellers, is in agieement. For the different meanings con-
veyed in vers. 28, 39 by the same expression, cf. xl. 13 and 19.
40. ]lreak loose: The precise meaning of the Avord is uncertain, Init
that given in the text (which readily passes into that of " wandering
at large and unrestrainedly," and, in a metaphorical sense, "of being
distracted ") seems to suit the other passages Avhere it occurs (see Jer.
ii. 31 ; Hos. xi. 12 (marg.) ; Ps. Iv. 2).
45. Botlt : The murderer Avould pay the penalty for his crime.
46. The davghters of I/elh : This, folloAved by the daughters of the land,
is aAvkward, and is omitted by the LXX.
XXVIII. 16. Surely Jehovah . . . not: Imijlying that JehoA'ah's pre-
sence had hitherto been connected by him oidy Avith places regarded as
sacred by his father and grandfather, such as Beersheba (xx vi. 24, xxi. 23)-
19. Luz : That Bethel and Luz Avere not altogether identical appears
from Josh. xvi. 2. The situation of Bethel is twelve miles north of
Jeiusalem.
22. Shall be God's house: See xxxv. 7. In later times Bethel was a
national sanctuary ; see Judges xx. 18 ; i Sam. x. 3.
XXIX. 5. The son of Nahor : Eeally his grandson ; see xxiv. 15, 29 ;
cf. 2 Kings ix. 20 and 14.
12. Brother: Really his nepheAv ; see xxviii. 2.
27. Complete her week: i.e., celebrate the marriage feast, Avhich lasted
a week ; cf. Judges xiv. 12.
32. Reuben: lit. "See! a son," but brought into connection with
rdah beongi, " he hath seen my affliction."
33. Siiiieon : From shdma, " to hear."
34. Levi : From Idvah, " to cleave to."
35. Judah : From Iioduh, " to i)raise." The LXX. has "she called,"
as in the jjrevious A^erses.
XXX. 2. Am I in God's stead : cf. 2 Kings a-. 7.
3. Upon my knees: The person upon Avliose knees a ne\v-l)orn infant
was laid thereby claimed it {cf. 1. 23, Job iii. 12 ; Honi. 11. ix. 455,
Od. xix. 401.
6. Dan: From din, "to judge," in the sense of "defender," " advo-
EXPLANATORY NOTES 233
cate," implying tliat God liail taken her under His protection, and
asserted her cause against tliose who reproached her for childlessness.
8. Naiylitali : From niiihtal, " to wrestle."
II. / am fortunate: lit. " wdtli good fortune;" LXX. «V tvxv- A
ditlerent pointing of th^ Hebrew gives ijood fortune has covie.
Gad: i.e., "fortune ;" cf. Isa. Ixv. 11.
13. A slier : From «--7ter, "to be happy."
14. Love-apples: Or via)idrakes {.\landrugora autumnalis), a plant
having a strong smell (cf. Cant. vii. 13), and bearing yellowish -green
apples about the .size of a nutmeg, and with roots forked like the
legs of a man ; botli its fruit and root were esteemed as a means of
promoting fertility. LXX. /iiyXa navSpayopuiv.
17. Ulte conceired . . . a fifth son: As it is implied in xxix. 35, xxx.
9. tliat a considerable inter\al elapsed between the births of Judah and
Issachar, it is jirobable tliat the latter, together with Zebulun and
Dinah, was born during the six years that followed the second period
of seven (see xxxi. 41), otherwise Leah must have had seven children
in as many years.
18. Issachar: lit. "He (God) brings a reward," from yissa saehar.
20. Zebidun: From zdbal, which in Hebrew means " to dwell," but
according to the Assyrian is said to signify "to raise up," "exalt"
(rf. LXX. aipeTKi fie 6 dvrjp p-ov). But the words, God hath endowed
me . . . point to a name, Zebudicu, from zdbad, "to endow," "to
present." The discrepancy is probably due to the account being a
combination of two different records.
21. Dinah: It is implied in xlvi. 7 that Jacob had other daughters
also.
23. Ami God remembered : It is not necessary to assume that all the
children of Leah and the two handmaids were born liefoie Josepli
(see note on ver. 17).
24. Joseph : The words, God . . . rtproacli, connect the name with
dsapit, "to take away," and point to E as the source of the narrative ;
but the explanation. May Jehovah . . . son, implies a derivation from
yasaph, " to add," and is derived from J (cf. crit. note).
27. Tarry : Unexpressed in the oi-igiiial, but necessary to complete the
sense.
JHcined: See note on xliv. 5.
32. Sjieckled and spotted : The sheep in the East are said to be almost
all white, the goats mostly dark ; and so those that were marked with
black among the sheep and white among the goats might be expected
to be few.
35. He removed : Laban, instead of falling in with Jacol/s projjosal
(ver. 32), himself separated the unusual coloured cattle, and committed
them to his sons to drive apart, whilst the normal coloured animals
were left to the care of Jacob, the arrangement seemingly being that the
otfsprini,' of the latter, wdiicli diti'ered in colour from the sires and dams,
should thenceforward be Jacob's hire. It wa.s to ensure the number
234 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
of tliese being a.s great as possible that Jacob adopted tlie artifice
described in vers. 37-39, 41-42. But ver. 40, as it stands, is out of har-
mony with the context, and its introduction may be tlie result of an
amalgamation of two distinct accounts. If so, the one may have run
(in agreement with what precedes), And Jacob divided tite lambs, and
set jiiicks fur himself apart, and put them not into Laban's flock, whilst
the other (which is onlya fragment) may have described a difi'erent device.
XXXI. 12. Dajjpled : i.e., white spots on a dark ground. As this
is used instead of the spotted of xxx. 32, 33, 35, but with the same
meaning, it proliably indicates that the two passages are derived from
different sources.
1 5. Devoured the m.oney : Tliis seems to imply that a portion of the
nwliar (see on xxiv. 53) was usually returned in the form of dowry to
the daughter : cf the Homeric edvoua-daL dvyarepa {Od. ii. 53).
19. Terapliim : LXX. ei'SwXa, images (seemingly of human form,
I Sam. xix. 13-16) worshipped as the tutelary gods or god of the
house ; so that Rachel thought to carry with her the fortune of the
family. They were also used in some way to predict the futui-e
(Ezek. xxi. 21 ; Zech. x. 2).
21. Over the River: i.e., the Euphrates.
23. Seven da//s^ journey: The distance between ]\Iesopolanvia and
Gilead is far too great to have been accomplished in this time.
25. Gilead: The mountainotis district east of the Jordan, extending,
roughly, from the south exti-emity of the Sea of Galilee to the northern
end of the Dead Sea.
29. The God of your father: The jilural includes Jacob's brethren
(ver. 23) ; but tlie LXX. has 6 debs rod varpos aov.
35. The manner of women is upon me : Her condition would doubtless
also prevent Laban from touching her (cf. Lev. xv. 19).
45-55. Two compacts can be distinguislied — (i) That Jacpb should
be faithful to Laban's daughters (ver. 50) ; (2) that neither party
should pass over the boundary agreed upon to the other's hurt (ver. 52).
Possibly the pillar was connected with the one, and the heajt with the
other ; but if so, the two accounts have l)ecome confused.
47. Jerjar-sahadutha: Aramaic for "the heap of witness."
(I'uleed : i..e, " heap of witness."
49. Mizjiah : i.e., " watch tower." The spot must have been north
of the Jal)bok, the crossing of which is not mentioned until xxxii. 22.
The Mizpah mentioned in Judges xi. 1 1 (Mizpeh of Gilead, ver. 29)
was south of tlie Jabbok.
53. Judge: The pluial verb seems to imidy that Laban did not
I'ecognise the God of Al>i'aliam and the God of Nahor to be the
same deity.
XXXII. 2. Mahanaim: i.e., "two companies," referring to his own
company and the host of angels he had met. This verse is from E, and
it is possible that in J the name was connected with Jacob's own two
c()mj)anies (ver. 7). The name of a locality is wanted to explain the
EXPLANATORY NOTES 235
tlin-e of ver. 13. From tlie course of the narrative the 2)lace would
ajjpear to be north of the Jabbok (subsequently a border city between
(Jad and Manasseli, Josh. xiii. 26, 30); but its exact position is
doubtfuh
3. Field of Edom: The name anticipates the final occupation (Dent.
ii. 12), for at this time the country was still in the possession of the
aboriginal Horites (.\xxvi. 20), against whom Esau had to maintain
himself by his armed followers. For the discrepancy between this
passage (by JE) and the account of P, see on xxxvi. 6.
9. Wliidi saidst unto me: See xxxi. 3.
1 1, The mother with the children : Or tlie mother over the children, in the
attitude of protection ; (/. Hos. x. 14.
12. Thou midd: Jiee xxviii. 13-15, though the language is not
identical.
20. Appease : lit. " I will cover his face with the present ; " (/.
XX. 16, note.
22. Jabbok: The modern Ez Zarka, Mhich flows into the Jordan on
its left bank, midway between the Sea of Tiberias and the Dead Sea.
According to the narrator, it got its name from the wrestling {Cibak)
which took place on its banks, though it is probably from bdkak, " to
pour out."
25. Prevailed not: That Jacob possessed great physical strength is
implied in xxix. 10, contrasted with ver. 8.
26. Let me go . . . breaketh : Perhaps said in the spirit of xix. 17.
It may have been this which betrayed to Jacob the supernatural
character of his antagonist.
28. Israel: lit. "God strives" (cf. Jerubbaal, which is regarded as
meaning " let Baal jjlead," Judges vi. 32), but implying " one who
maintains a struggle with God." For the identification of God with
His angel, cf. xvi. 10, 13, xxii. 11, 14.
Men : e.g., Esau and Laltan. The LXX. has on tVicrxi'tras p-era 6(ov,
Kai fjLfTa avdpihirujv Svvarbi ^(rrj.
29. IVherefire . . . my name : t/. Jmlu'es xiii. 18.
30. Feniel : i.e., "the face of God." LXX. eloos deou. The i and a
in Peniel and Penuel (ver. 32) are merely connective vowels. The
jiosition of the place (which is named in Judges viii. 8) is unknown.
XXXIIL 10. Face of God : Probably a popular expression of eulogy
like the English divine ; cf. i Sam. xxix. 9 ; 2 Sam. xiv. 17.
14. To Heir: Jacob's original destination was his father's home
(xxxi. 18).
1 7. Saccoth : i.e., " booths." The place was probably on the east of
the Jordan and south of the Jabbok (xxxii. 22, since the description
of Shechem as being in the land of Canaan (xxxiii. 18) implies that it
was the first city west of the Jordan which he reached. There was a
Succoth among the cities assigned to Gad (Josh. xiii. 27 ; cf. also Judges
viii. 4-8). The name still survives, but is attached to a locality on the
^vest of the river.
236 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
18. Slialem : So the LXX. ; cf. Joliii iii. 23. There still exists a
small place called Salim three miles to the east of the ancient Shecheiii.
Others render in peace.
19. Pieces of money : Heb. Kesitah. Tlie LXX. renders d/j.vu)v ; but
they were probably ingcjts or pieces of metal of specified weight. The
plot of ground purchased was in the valley extending between Ebal
and Gerizim.
20. El-eJohe-hrael : i.e., "God, the God of Israel." Tlie altar l)ears
the name of the God to whom it is dedicated ; cf. Exod. xvii. 1 5.
XXX IV. 4. Spake unto his father : For the parent arranging the
marriage of the son ; cf. xxi. 21, xxiv. 3, foil. The fact that Dinah is
here repi'esented as being of a marriageable age, which was not the case
when Jacob left Mesopotamia (see xxx. 21, xxxi. 41), implies a lengtliy
sojourn at Succoth (xxxiii. 17).
7. Wrought folhj in Israel: The expression, common in later history
(Dent. xxii. 21 ; Jndges xx. 10 ; 2 Sanu xiii. 12), is an anachronism here,
for Israel, as a people, did not yet exist, in sinte of the apjjlication of
the word peoide to Jacob's company in xxxv. 6.
13. A)id spake, because: If the words (tnd spake are to be retained, a
transposition seems necessary, so that the passage may run answered
S/iechem and spake ivith guile, because . . . But as the same word is used
in 2 Chron. xxii. 10 in the sense of destroy, it may perhajjs mean here
sought their destruction.
XXXV. 2. Put away . . . garments : i.e., in preparation for the holy
place at Bethel. The "strange gods " were perhaps the Teraphim ; cf.
xxxi. 19. For the latter part of the direction, cf. 2 Sam. xii. 20.
4. Earrings : These are said to have been used as amulets or charms.
5. A mighty terror : lit. " a terror of God ; " (/. xxx. 8. Others
I'ender a terror from God ; cf. 2 Chron. xiv. 14 ; Zech. xiv. 13.
7. El-beth-el : i.e., " the God of Bethel."
Revealed himself: The plural in the Hebrew may have an implicit
reference to the angels mentioned in xxviii. 12.
8. Allon-bacliuth : i.e., "the oak of weeping."
14. Drink-offering: Probably of wine.
16. A little 'icay : Heb. a chibrah of land, a measure of distance not
precisely known, though its use in 2 Kings v. 19 implies that it wius
inconsiderable. The LXX. here transliterates eJs x<^^P<^^°-y hut in xlviii.
7 it prefixes the explanation rbv iwTrddpofxov, either in the sense of the
(Jreek stadium (about 202 yards), or as denoting the distau' e a horse
could run.
i8. Beiioni: i.e., "son of my sorrow."
Henjamin: lit. "son of the right hand," i.e., son of prosjieiity, the
right side being the lucky side. It might be equivalent to "son of
the south" {cf. the Heb. of Ps. Ixxxix. 12 (13)), Benjamin being born in
Canaan, whereas the other children were born in Aram ; but it has
lieen pointed out that Canaan is nowhere else so designated.
19. EjJirufli . . . Bethlehem.- cf. Mioali v. 2. In i Saui. x. 2 Ttacliel's
EXPLANATORY NOTES 237
st'pulcliie is represented as being within the border of Benjamin, and
in Jer. xxxi. 15 Rachel is regarded as weeping at Eaniah, which ^\^•ls
one of the cities of Benjamin (Josli. xviii. 25) ; wliereas Ephrath, botli
}iere and in xlviii. 7, is identified with Bethlehem, which was in .Tiidali.
There were probably two traditions respecting the place of burial.
21. Eder : Perhaps the same as the Eder in tlie soutli of Judali
(Josh. XV. 21).
22. And Israel heard of it: '1 he LXX. continue^: Kal wovrjpbv e^aij;
evavTLOV avToD.
26. Paddan Aram : This, in strictness, only applies to the first
eleven sons.
XXXVI. 2. Esau took his irives : The names of Esau's wives, as
given here and in xxvi. 34 and xxviii. 9, differ ; and though, as a
whole, the section seems to be derived from P, it is probable that tlie
compiler has intioduced materials drawn from one of the other
sources : —
xxxvi. 2, foil. xxvi. 34 ; xxviii. 9.
1. Adah, d. of Elon the Hittite. liasemath, d. of Elon the Hittite.
2. (Jholibamah, d. of Anah, d. of Judith, d. of Beeri, the Hittite.
Zibeon the Hivite.
3. Baseinath, d. of Isliuiael. Malialath, d. of Ishmael.
Elon is called the Hittite because that term was applicable generally
to the inhabitants of Canaan {cf. xxvii. 46) ; but the designation of
Zibeon as the Hivite appears to be a mistake for the Horite (see ver. 20).
As the text stands, the Anah of ver. 2 is a woman ; but if identical
with the Anah of ver. 20 (where sons may mean dnldren), daughter of
Zibeon must be a mistake for sister. But the LXX. in ver. 2 has toO
viov 'Ee^eywv, identifying the Anah of ver. 2 with the Anah of ver. 24.,
3. Sister of Xebaioth : See c. xxv. 13.
6. Into the land . . . : The name of the country (Seir, ver. 8) appears
to be omitted. The LXX. has e/c rfjs yns Xavadf. According to JE
(xxxii. 3) Esau was in Seir when Jacob was returning from Paddan
Aram ; but P here represents Esau as dwelling in Canaan and only
departing for Seir after Jacob's arrival.
12. Amalek : If Amalek here is regarded as the ancestor of the Amale-
kites, there is a discre^jancy between the passage (from P) and xiv. 7,
where the Amalekites appear among tlie aboriginal inhabitants.
15. Chiejs: The Hebrew literally means "the commander of a
thousand men" (Chiliarch).
16. Korah is identical in name with the son of E.sau mentioned in
ver. r8, and is omitted here by the Samaritan version. If Amalek, the
son of the concubine (ver. 12), be disregarded, the chiefs descended
from Esau's three wives number twelve {cf. Introd. p. 50).
19. The same is Edom : This should naturally follow Esau.
20. Tlie inhnbitaiits of the land: i.e., the aboriginal occupants; see
note on xiv. .
238 THE BOOK OF (iENESIS
24. . . . (ind Aiali : The conjunction in the Hebrew text points to'
the omission of a name.
26. Dishan : So the Hebrew ; but the LXX. (with which i Chron. i.
41 a<,'rees) has Z^/s/i'm, which a comparison with ver. 21 shows to be
right.
28. i^z : The same name occurs in a different connection in x. 23.
31. KirKja . . . Edoni: The mcmarchy of Edom was seemingly elec-
tive {cf. Isa. xxxiv. 12, maig.), since none of the eight kings is the son
of his predecessor.
33. Bnzrah: Presumaldy the same jilace witli that mentioned in
connection with Edom in Isa. Ixiii. i and Amos i. 11-12.
34. Land of the Temanites : A district in Edoiu ; cf. Jer. xlix. 7 ;
E/ek. XXV. 13.
35. Sinote Midian : After tlie time of Gideon the Midianites almost
disappear from history (Judges viii. 28), so that Hadad must have
reigned before that date.
37. Rehoho/h by the Ricf-r : If the River means, as it usually does, the
Euphrates, the Shaul here mentioned must have been an Assyrian.
40. And these are the names : This list is apparently territorial rather
than personal and genealogical like that of ver. 15-18.
XXXVII. 3. Garment : One reaching down to the wrists and ankles,
worn by persons of high rank (2 Sam. xiii. 18, where the LXX. has
Xtrdjj' Kapwuirb's and the Vulgate talaris tunica, though here the former
has X- TToiKiXos and the latter t. pohjmita). But on an Egyptian tomb
there has been found the representation of a Semitic chief wearing a
inirment with a sleeve which covers the left arm to tlie elbow only,
the right arm being bare.
g. 'J'he eleven stars : The article is absent in the Heb. Probably the
sun and moon symbolised Jacob and Rachel, and the eleven stars
Joseph's brethren.
10. Thy mother : The discrepancy l)etween this and xxxv. 18 suggests
that the two passages come fi'om different sources (E and J).
17. Dotkan : About twelve miles to the north of Samaria.
25. Spice: Tragacanth, a resinous gum (Astragalus gummifer).
Balsam : The gum of the mastix tree {Pistacia lentiscus).
Myrrh : Or ladaimm, the aromatic gum of the Cistus creticns.
28. Midianites : In Judges viii. 22-24 the Midianites are regarded as
Ishmaelites, so that, notwithstanding the different sources from wliic'u
the record is compiled (see crit. note), there is no serious discrepancy' in
the account. In ver. 36 the captors of Joseph are called Medanites, a
tribe closely related to the Midianites, according to xxv. 2.
Twenty shekels of silver : The average value of a slave, according to
the Mosaic law, was thirty shekels (Exod. xxi. 32).
35. Grave: lit. Sheol, the subterranean world, the aljode of the dead,
coiresponding to the Greek Hades.
36. Officer: The word primarily menus a eunuch (LXX. cndbwv and
ei/fouxos).
EXPLANATORY NOrKS 239
Guard : lit. executioners. The primary signiticatiou of the word was
hutcher or cook (see i Sam. ix. 23), and it is rendered by the LXX.
dpx'Ma7««pos- It was then applied to the royal guards, who had to
superintend the execution of condemned persons. Potiphar, as captain
of this boily, had the state prison under his charge (xl. 3).
XXXVIII. I. Went down: Jacob and his sons lived at Hebron in
the hill country of Judah (cf. xxxvii. 14). Adullam lay in the plain
of Jndah (Josh. xv. 35), to the N.W. of Hebron.
5. C/>e::ib : Probably the same as Achzib (Josh. xv. 44), also in the
lowland of Judah.
8. Marry hfv : More s,ivici\\, per form the duty of a hushand's brother,
a practice afterwards enjoined and regulated by the Mosaic law ; see
Dent. XXV. 5-10.
11. Thy father'. f liiiu.ie : </. Lev. xxii. 13, foil, (of a priest's daughter).
12. Timnah : In the hill country of Judah (Josh. xv. 57).
14. Disguised herself: She professed to aj)pear as a Kede.-Jiah, i.e.,
one who consecrated herself to the impure worship of Astarte, who
was honoured by her devotees in the same way as Mylitta was at
Babylon (Hdt. i. 199).
Enaim : Perhaps the same as Enam in the lowland of Judali
(Josh. XV. 34).
17. A kid: A similar present was made by Samson when visiting
his Philistine wife (Judges xv. i).
18. Cord: By wdiich the signet-ring was suspended over tlie breast
(cf. Cant. viii. 6). The custom in Canaan of wearing a signet-ring
and carrying a staff resembled that recorded of the Babylonians by
Herodotus (i. 195, atppriy^da eKaaros ^x^' ""■'■ cicrjirTpov xf'poTro/Tjroi').
23. Lest we be put to shame : By continuing to make further inquiries.
24. Burned : In the Mosaic law the punishment of an unfaithful
wife seems to have been death, but the mode of death is kft undeter-
mined (Deut. xxii. 22). It was prol>ably death l>y stoning ; cf. Ezek.
xvi. 38-40. Death by fire w^as the penalty for unehastity in the case of
the daughter of a priest (Lev. xxi. 9).
29. Why hast . . . account: Others, Hoio hast thou made a breach^
A breach he 'upon thee / (the last words being an imprecation).
Perez : i.e., " breaking forth.''
30. Zerah : lit. "rising," in reference to his appearing first, but
with an implication of the brightness of the dawn, and so an allusion
to the scarlet thread.
XXXIX. 6. Save the bread . .-. eat: See xliii. 32.
21. Keeper of the ji'>"^son : This, coming from J (see crit. note), is
inconsistent with what is said in xl. 3 (E), wdiere Joseph in prison is
represented as still in Potiphar's charge. In J the master of Joseph
seems to have been a private individual whom the narrator left un-
named, and who conveyed Joseph from his own house to the public
jirison ; whilst in E he appears as Potiphar, who, as residing at the
state-prison, transfers Joseph fx-om his own quarters to the dungeons ;
240 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
and the compiler, in combining the two accouut8, has, as in oilier cases,
refrained from removing the discrepancy.
XL. I. Tliehing of Ecjypt : As the E\odus is generally helieved to
have taken place abont 1320 B.C. in the reign of Menephthah or
Menejdithes (the Amenophis of Greek aiithors), and the duration of
the sojourn in Egypt is reckoned at 430 years (Exod. xii. 40), it has
been concluded that the Pharaoh in whose reign Joseph came to
Egypt was one of the Hyk.so.s, a tribe of Arabian nomads, whose rule
is said to have lasted from 2100 to 1600 B.C.
5. Each man according to the interpretation of his dream : i.e., each
dream was significant and admitted of being inteipreted.
9. Vine : For the vine culture in Egypt, (/. Ps. Ixxviii. 47, cv. ^3 l
contrast Hdt. ii. yj, oiVw 5' e/c Kpidiwu ireiroirj/j.ei'ui Oi.axpC)VTaC ov -Yap (T<pl eiai
ev Trj x'^PV fi^TeXoi. The cultivation of grajies and the making of wine
aie represented on the monuments.
II. Took the grapes and pressed: Symbolical of the grape-treading,
and not implying that unfermented grape-juice was usually drunk in
place of wine ; though it appears that a drink made out of the juice of
grapes squeezed into water was used at certain feasts.
16. On mil head: cf. Hdt. ii. 35, ra dxOea oi p.ev dvopes ewl tCov
Kf(f>a.\i<j3v (popiovai, al 5e -yvvaiKes ewi tQv &p.wv.
XLI. I. TJte river : The Heb. term is used almost unifoimly of the Kile.
2. Reed grass : Heb. ahu, LXX. dxei, an Egyptian word.
7. Devoured : i.e., the seven lean ears shot up above the others and
made them disappear from sight.
8. Magicians .• Men belonging to the priestly class, who devoted
themselves to the practice of hieroglyphic writing and studied magic
(see Exod. vii. 11, 22, viii. 7) ; LXX. tovs e^yjyTjrds.
14. Shaved himself : The Egyptians .shaved except when in mourn-
ing (Hdt. ii. 36).
22. Seven ears on one stalk : A \ariety of corn bearing many ears on
one stalk is said to grow in Egypt.
26. Kin'i : The interpretation oi' the Avell-favoured and lean kine as
years of abundance and scarcity respectively is doubtless connected
with the fact that a bull was the .symbol of the Nile, upon which the
fertility of Egypt depends, whilst a cow was the symliol ot the
earth.
40. IjC rvlfld: LXX. i-rrl tw cTTo/xari crov inraKOvaerai. nas 6 Xaos p.ov.
Others render, vpon thy luoutlt slmll all my peojdc kis.'i, as doing
homage ; but the kiss of homage would not be given on the moutli,
and the construction of the verb in this sense is usually different.
42. Fine linen : Perhaps rather yi/ze co/^on ; luXX. (XTo\r]v ^vffffivijv.
43. IJow the knee : Heb. abrech, according to some authorities an
imitation of an Egyptian native cry meaning "cast thyself down,"
but assimilated to the Hebi'ew verb bdrach " to kneel." Others regard
it as a word of Babylonian origin, meaning " seer ; " cf. xliv. 15.
45. Podphera: Virtually tlie same name as I'utiphar.
EXPLANATORY NOTES 241
50. On : Heliopolis, on the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, near the
angle of the Delta. It was the chief centre of the worship of the Sun.
51. Manasseh: From nushah, "to forget."
52. Ephraim: From par ah, "to be fruitful."
54. The seven years of famine: A long famine is mentioned in an
inscription on the tomb of an Egyptian called Baba, who lived in the
time of the Hyksos.
56. Everything : The text is imperfect ; it should perhaps run
every storehouse ivherein there was corn. The LXX. has vavras roi/s
criTo^dXwvas.
XLIl. 8. They kneio not him : Twenty years had elapsed since they
had seen him (see xxxvii. 2, xli. 46, 47).
9. The nakedness of the land : The most exposed and assailable side of
Egypt was the east and north-east ; cf. Hdt. iii. 4, 5.
II. All one man's sons: It is implied that it was scarcely likely
that a father would expose so many of his children at once to the
danger attending the occupation of spies.
37. Two S071S : In xlvi. 9 he is represented as having four.
XLI II. 1 1. Choice fruits : lit. " the song of the land," i.e., the products
praised in song. Others take it to mean literally " that which is cut
off," and so the produce ; though the root (zdmar) usually means "to cut
off what is useless," " to prune."
Balsam, &c. : See notes on xxxvii. 25.
Honey: According to some, grape-juice boiled down to the con-
sistency of a syrup.
Nuts : i.e., pistachio nuts, containing an oily kernel, not unlike an
almond.
1^. If I he bereaved: For similar expressions of resignation see
2 Kings vii. 4 ; Esth. iv. 16.
32. For him by himself: As connected with a priestly hoiise (xli. 45).
Cannot eat : cf. Hdt. ii. 41, dvrip Aiy^JTmos . . . oi;5i^ fiaxaiprj dvdpbs
"EXXtji-os x/jTjcrerat, ou5' 6/3eXo?(rt, ov8i X^^tjti, oi>de Kpeois Kadapou /Soos diarer-
fiTj/jLevov "E\\T}viKrj ixaxa-'iprt yevaerai. By this time the Hyksos must have
become quite Egyptianised.
34. Sent messes : As a mark of respect for distinguished guests ; cf.
I Sam. ix. 23-24.
Five times as great: To do him honour; cf. Hom. II. viii. 162,
Tvdetdr], irepl fxiv ae t'lov Aavaol raxi^TwXot ^dpr) re Kpiaaiv re iSi TrXeiotj
deTrdecrcnv ; Hdt. vi. 57.
XLiy. 4. The city : Perhaps Memphis.
5. Divineth: Eepresentations of scenes or coming events were obtained
from the appearance presented by water either when poured into a cup,
or when disturbed by having certain objects, such as precious stones,
thrown into it ; cf. Pliny, H. N. xxxvii. y^, anancitide (a gem) in hydro-
mantia clicunt evocari imagines deorum.
XLV. 7. By a great deliverance : Or (perhaps preferably) to be a great
company that escape.
Q
242 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
8. A father : cf. Judges xvii. lo ; i Mace. xi. 32 ; Apoc. Esth. xvi. 11.
10. Goshen : In Lower Egypt, on the east of the Nile, the Tanitic
branch of which probably formed its western boundary. On the east
it was bordered by the Isthmus of Suez, and the LXX. terms it r^o-e/i
TTjj 'Apa^ias.
ig. Now thou art commanded: i.e., to give them their directions.
But the LXX. has aij Si ^freiXat.
24. Fall not out: e.g., as to their respective responsibility for the
wrong done to Joseph and their father, which had now to be con-
XLVI. I. Journeyed: i.e., from Hebron (xxxvii. 14).
3. Fear not: Abraham had been in danger there (xii. 10 foil.), and
Isaac had been forbidden to go there (xxvi. 2).
4. Pid his hand . . . eyes : i.e., close them at death ; cf. Eur. Hec.
430, Z77, Kol davovaris d/xfia ffvyKXeicrei rh adv ; Hom. II. xi. 452-453 ;
Verg. Mn. ix. 487.
8, foil. These are the names: In the corresponding lists in Numbers
and I Chronicles some of the names are given differently.
15. Thirty and three: Jacob is included amongst his children by
Leah, instead of being added to them,
26. Threescore and six: Jacob and Joseph, with the latter's two sons, are
here left out of the computation. When they are included the number
amounts to seventy (ver. 27). In place of this latter the LXX. has seventy-
five, adding to the names given in the Hebrew text those of INIanasseh's
son Machir and his grandson Galaad, and those of Ephraim's children
Sutalaam and Taam, and the former's son Edom. But the facts (i)
that Perez, born about the time when Joseph was sold into Egypt
(xxxviii. 29, if the order of c. xxxvii. and xxxviii. is taken as chrono-
logical, as xxxviii. i seems to imply), and therefore now about twenty-
two, has two sons ; (2) that Reuben, who in xlii. 37 (J) has two sons,
is here represented by P as the father of four ; and (3) that Benjamin,
who in xliii. 8 (J) is called " a lad," and in xliv. 20 (J) " a little one,"
has here eleven sons assigned to him, point to a discrepancy between
the two sources, unless, as the figure seventy (a multii^le of the sacred
number seven) suggests, the list is artificial in character, and is made
up by including some who were not yet born until after their fathers
had arrived in Egypt. The latter view is supported by the agreement
(a few unimportant differences excepted) between the list here and
that of Num. xxvi., which is clearly intended to contain the names of
all the founders of independent families in Israel.
28. To show the way before him : The subject of the verb is probably
Joseph ; but the directions would be given through a servant, since
Josepli and his fatlier did not meet until after the arrival in Goshen
(ver. 29).
29. IVent up : i.e., from the interior of Egypt to Canaan.
34. Shepherd . . . abomination: The expression seems a needlessly
strong one, as both large and small cattle are mentioned in xlvii. 17
EXPLANATORY NOTES 243
among the property of the Egyptians ; and Herodotus only names
swineherds as objects of abhorrence (ii. 47). The Egyptians, however,
were principally agriculturists, and contact with the migratory Arab
tribes may have fostered a prejudice against pastoral life.
XLVIL 9. Feio: A hundred and thirty years are so called by way
of contrast with the 170 years of Abraham and the 180 years of
Isaac.
II. Barneses: Seemingly so called by anticipation, from the store-
city of that name built subsequently (Exod. i. 11).
16. I will give you: The LXX. supplies dprovs.
21. Removed them to the cities: i.e., to facilitate the distribution of
food. But the LXX. has rbv \ahv KaTedovXwixaTO avrt^ els iraidas, which
implies a very slight change in the Hebrew text.
22. A ijortion . . . Pharaoh : In the time of Herodotus (see ii. 57)
the priests were supplied with sacred food, so that the expense of their
living (as here) did not fall on themselves.
26. Only the land of the 'priests, &c.; By Herodotus (ii. 168) the property
of the warrior class, as well as that of the priests, is represented as
exempt from taxation. But his statement (ii. 141) that King Sethon
took away from the former the lands ^chich had been assigned to them
(ded6cr9ai) in the time of his predecessors has been thought to mean
that at a still earlier period they, with the rest of the people, were in
the condition implied in Gen. xlvii. 20, 26.
29. Put . . . under my thigh : cf. xxiv. 2.
31. Bowed himself: In jalace of doing obeisance in the ordinary way,
from which he was precluded by the infirmities of age. The LXX.
has Kai irpoaeKijvqaev 'laparjK ewl rb CLKpov rrji pd^dov avrov^ implying a
different pointing of the Hebrew.
XLVIII. 3. Appeared at Lu:i : See xxviii. io-i9,xxxv. 6, 7 (JE), 9 (P).
5. Shall he mine: i.e., shall rank with Jacob's own sons as pro-
genitors of tribes.
6. Called after the name: i.e., shall be numbered with, and merged
in. the tribes of Ephraim and Mauasseh.
7. By my side : Others render, to my sorrow. The name Paddan
makes the assignment of the verse to JE questionable.
14. Guiding his hands wittmgly : lit. " made his hands wise." Others
render crossing his hands (LXX. evaXXa^ rds x^pcts).
16. On them: i.e., let my name and the names of my fathers be
handed down to posterity through their offspring ; cf. xxi. 12.
19. Shall be greater : In later history Joshua was of the tribe of
Ephraim ; Shiloh (for some time the religious centre of the nation)
was in Ephraimite territory ; and after the division of the kingdom,
the ten tribes were often distinguished by the name of Ephraim.
22. One mountain slope: Heb. shechem, i.e., "shoulder" (of a hill or
ridge), but with an allusion to the city of Shechem (substituted here by
the LXX.), which was in the district afterwards assigned to Ephraim.
TVhich I took : If this rendering be adopted, the reference must be to
244 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
an account of the capture of Shecliem parallel to but varying from
that given in xxxiv. 27, foil, (where the people are called Canaanites
and Perizzites, not Amorites), and xlix. 5-7 (where Jacob dissociates
himself from the deed). But some translate ivhich I take, the patriarch
looking jirophetically forward to the conquest of Canaan, and the
double portion of territory which the descendants of Joseph, the con-
joint tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, came to possess (c/. Josh. xvii.
"14-18).
XLIX. I. Which shall befall ynu : What follows is a prophecy rather
than a blessing ; see especially vers. 4-7.
In later days : The meaning of the phrase naturally varies with the
mental horizon of the speaker : here attention is mainly centred on
the occupation of Canaan by the twelve tribes, in accordance with the
tenor of the promises made to Abraham and Isaac. There is perhaps
room for suspicion that one or two passages reflect the actual circum-
stances of the occupation and the times of the Judges ; e.g., the pre-
cise description in ver. 13 of Zebukm's territory (though it is repre-
sented as rather more extensive than seems really to have been the
case), and the language respecting Dan (ver. 16), which may allude to
Samson (though the word for judge is not the same as that regularly
employed in connection with the Judges, e.g., Judges xvi. 31). On the
other hand, ver. 14 presents a contrast to Judges v. 15 ; and the men-
tion of Simeon, whose name is omitted in the Blessing of Moses (Deut.
xxxiii.), and whose territory at an early date became absorbed in
Judah's, and the absence of any indication of Levi's connection with
the priesthood (contrast Deut. xxxiii. 8), show that the bulk of the
" Blessing " is relatively very early.
4. Boiling over like water : i.e., possessed of a passionate nature ; LXX.
i^v^picra^ ihs ijduip. The same root is used of the light fellows of Judges
ix. 4.
Thou must not have the pre-eminence : According to later views (see
I Chron. v. 1-2), Reuben was considered to have lost both the double
portion of the inheritance, which Avent to Joseph, and the precedence
over his brethren, which passed to Judah.
Wentest tip . . . bed : See xxxv. 22.
5. Swords: The meaning of the word (which only occurs here) is
doubtful, some rendering it by shepherd's crooks, others by sickles, and
others again by contrivances (which does not suit the expression
"weapons"). The allusion is to xxxiv. 25, foil.
6. Glory : Synonymous, as the parallelism suggests, witli soul ; cf. Ps.
vii. 5, xvi. 9, XXX. 12. LXX. I-wIt'^ avaTaffeiavrCov iJ.i]€pic7aLTaritraTd ixov.
Hamstrung oxen : LXX. ivevpoKoinqaav ravpov, implying that they
maimed and rendered useless such of the animals as they failed to
carry away (xxxiv. 27-29).
7. Divide . . . scatter : In the review of the people in the plains of
Moab Simeon was the weakest of all the tribes (Num. xxvi. 14), and its
citiea lay within the territory of Judah (Josh. xix. i). Levi received
EXPLANATORY NOTES 245
no territory of its o\ra, the Levites being scattered among the rest of
the tribes.
10. The ruler's staff: In the monuments of Persepolis, the Persian
king, there represented in a sitting posture, holds the sceptre between
his feet. Others render a ruler (LXX. ovk iK\€i\pei dpx^^v e| lov5a, /cat
riyovfievos eK tQv fi-qpihv avrov), the following words being regarded as a
euphemism for birth (c/. Dent, xxviii. 57) ; but the parallelism is in
favour of the rendering of the text ; cf. Num. xxi. 18.
Until he come . . . jjeoples be : If the word Shiloh be taken (as in the
text) to mean the town in Ephraim west of the Jordan (Judges xxi, 19),
at which the Israelites assembled on the completion of the conquest of
Canaan (Josh, xviii. i, 10), the supremacy ascribed to Judah previous
to the arrival there must be regarded as realised in the precedence
enjoyed by the tribe (i) on the march (Num. x. 14) ; (2) in the
division of the conquered territory (Josh, xv.) ; whilst the words
to Mm shall the obedience of the ■peoples be may be considered as having
been in a measure fulfilled by the many conquests of the tribe, and,
in a spiritual sense, by the spread of its faith among the nations.
But the expression sceptre and the last words of the verse together
suggest a line of individual rulers culminating in a monarch of world-
wide sovereignty. It seems probable, therefore, that the word Shiloh
is corrupt, and conceals the true subject of the verb come. This is
confirmed by the LXX. t'ws ti.v eKd-rj to. diroKuniva aury, which indicates
a slightly different reading, that admits of being rendered : (i) luitil
there come that which (or he ivho) is his; (2) until there come he ivhose it is
{i.e., the sceptre ; cf. Ezek. xxi. 27). The passage thus appears to embody
an expectation akin to the later belief in the advent of a personal Messiah
(c/. Matt. xi. 3). But the view that Shiloh is itself an appellation of the
Messiah in the sense of Peace-Bringer seems precluded alike by philo-
logical considerations, and by the absence of any allusion elsewhere to
Shiloh as a personal name. Another rendering that has been proposed
is until tranquillity come, or until he come to tranquillity. The Vul-
gate has donee veniat qui mittendus est, implying a diff'erent original.
11. Binding . . . grapes: i.e., using with unconcern, in consequence of
the land's abundant fertility, a fruit-tree instead of a stake, and wine
instead of water.
12. Wine . . . milk: The expression (for the first part of which cf.
Prov. xxiii. 29-30) only serves to express Judah's wealth in vineyards
and pasture lands. Another possible rendering is : His eyes shall he redder
than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk; LXX. xapoTrot ol 6<pda\ixol avroO
inrep oXvov, Kal XevKoi oi odivre^ avrov rj yoKa.
13. Zebulun: The territory of Zebulun did not quite touch the
Mediterranean, but it was near enough to have the advantage of
marine commerce ; cf. Deut. xxxiii. 18-19.
14. Shecpfolds: Implying an unambitious character combined with
material prosperity, and willing to submit to a foreign yoke rather
than risk the loss of it by asserting independence.
246 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
i6. Dan shall judge: i.e., assert the cause of.
As one of the tribes: i.e., Dan, in spite of his insignificance, will not
be lost among the other tribes, but do effectual service in Israel's cause.
17. A serpent in the way: cf. Judges xiii.-xvi., and xviii.
18. I have waited . . . Jehovah: The patriarch identifies himself
with his descendants, and looks to Jehovah for help against their
enemies.
19. Gad . . . press on him: Heb. gad, "to press."
20. From Asher . . .fat : i.e., the produce of his soil is so considerable
that he not only has abundance for himself, but likewise furnishes
kings with dainties. If a different division of the last words of ver. 19
and the first of ver. 20 be adopted, the translation should be Asher . . . Ins
bread is fat.
21. Naphtali is a hind let loose : Alluding to the mountainous district
occupied by this tribe, and the independent character such a situation
gave rise to. The LXX. has Ne^^aXi ar^Xexos dveLfxivov imdi-doiis iv ri^
yevvrj/jiaTL KciWos, suggesting a different reading and pointing of the
Hebrew, which has then been rendered, Naphtali is a slender terebinth,
that puts forth beautiful branches, i.e., will number heroes among his
descendants {e.g., Barak ; see also Judges vi. 35, vii. 23).
22. A young fruit-tree : lit. "the son of a fruit-tree."
Branches: lit. "daughters."
Another rendering of the verse is, a ijoung antelope is Joseph, a
young antelope by a fountain; his hinds run by the amlmshment, — a
translation which harmonises better with the language of ver. 23.
24. From thence : i.e., from God, explained by what follows ; (/. the
use of there of the next world in Eccles. iii. 17,
The Shepherd (of Israel) : cf. xlviii. 15.
Stone : Elsewhere God, as the support of His people, is only called
" The Rock" (Deut. xxxii. 4 ; 2 Sam. xxiii. 3 ; Ps. xviii. 31) ; anti hence
some, pointing differently, render the shepherd of the stone of Israel, in
allusion to xxviii. 18 ; cf. xxxi. 13.
25. The Almighttj : The name God Almighty {El Shaddai) is charac-
teristic of P ; but the title Almighty occurs in JE (Num. xxiv. 4, 16).
26. The blessings of thy father, &c. : i.e., the blessings given to Joseph
by Jacob exceed the blessings bestowed upon Jacob by his parents in as
great a degree as the summits of the highest hills rise above the sur-
roiinding jDlains. But a different pointing gives the blessings of thy father
prevail above the blessings of {i.e., blessings consisting of) the ancient
mountains, the desirableness of the eternal hills; i.e., the blessing con-
ferred by Jacob is of higher value than the gift of a fair and fertile
hill-country, such as that promised in xlviii. 22 {cf. the LXX., etuXoylas
irarpSs ffov Kal fi7]Tp6s crov virepijxvaev virip evXoylas dpiuv fji.ovlfj.uv Kal eV
evXoylas di.vCiv aevdwv ; and Deut. XXxiii. I 5).
Prince : Not necessarily in a regal sense. Others render that loas
separated from his brethren.
EXPLANATORY NOTES
247
27. Benjamin . . . spoil : For the warlike character of the tribe of
Benjamin, see Judges v. 14, xx. 14, foil.
33. Drew up his feet : Referring to xlviii. 2 (JE).
L. 2. Physicians: According to Herodotus (ii. 85-86), embalming was
the work of a special class of persons.
3. Fort II days: Hdt. ii. 86, gives seventy; but Diodorus (i. 91) is
quoted as agreeing more nearly with the text.
4. SjjeaJc, I pray : Joseph was probably prevented from going in
person, owing to his having allowed his hair and beard to grow as a
sign of mourning (cf. Hdt. ii. 36, AlyvTrnoi. inrb tovs Oapdrovs dvie^ffi. rdj
Tpixa9 aiJ^ecrdaL) ; see xli. 14.
10. The threshing-floor <>/ Atad: The position of the spot is un-
certain.
Which is beyond Jordan : That the words are to be understood, from
the point of view of the Palestinian narrator, and not that of the
mourners from Egypt, and therefore means east of the Jordan, appears
from their repetition in ver. 1 1 , where they are attached to the name
given to the locality by the Canaanites. The place may have been
sufficiently near to the river to be visible from the western bank.
The mourners proceeded to Canaan by skirting the east shore of the
Dead Sea and crossing the Jordan, presumably because the direct
route through Philistia was attended with difficulties.
11. Abel Mizraim: lit. "the meadow of Egj'pt" {cf. Abel-Meholah,
Abel-beth-rnaachah), but connected by the narrator with the word ebel,
" mourning ; " LXX. H^vdos AlyvwTov. The position of the place is
uncertain.
23. Children of the third generation: i.e. (according to Exod. xsxiv.
7) the children of Ephraim's great-grandsons ; though the subsequent
reference to the children of Manasseh's son favours the view that the
children of Ephraim's grandsons are meant.
Born upon Joseph's knees : cf. note on xxx. 3.
26. Coffin : Presumably the ^vKi.vo% tvttos di^dpuiroeiSris (Hdt. ii. 86), in
which an embalmed body was usually placed.
APPENDICES AND INDEX
APPENDIX A
(From Driver, Introd. p. 150.)
The Priestly Narrative in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy,
and Joshua.
Exodus i. 1-7 ;'I3-I4 ; ii. 2^b-2S ; vi. 2-vii. 13; i9-2oa; 216-22 ; viii.
5-7 ; 156-19 ; ix. 8-12 ; xii. 1-20 ; 28 ; 37a ; 40-51 ; xiii. 1-2 ;
20 ; xiv. 1-4 ; 8-9 ; 15-18 ; 21a ; 21C-23 ; 26-27^ ; 28a ; 29 ;
xvi. 1-3; 6-24; 31-36; xvii. la; xix. i-2a ; xxiv. i5-i8«;
XXV. i-xxxi. 1 8a; xxxiv. 29-35 • xxxv.-xl.
Leviticus i.-xxvii.
Numbers i. i-x. 28; xiii. i-i7« ; 21; 25-26ft ; 32a; xiv. 1-2; 5-7;
10; 26-38; XV.; xvi. i« ; 2b-ja; (76-11); (16-17); 18-24;
27« ; 326 ; 35 ; (36-40) ; 41-50 ; xvii.-xix. ; xx. la ; 2 ; 36 ; 6 ;
12-13; 22-29; x^i- 4"? lo-ll ; xxii. i; xxv. 6-18; xxvi.-
xxxi. ; xxxii. 18-19; 28-30; xxxiii.-xxxvi.
Deuteronomy xxxii. 48-52 ; xxxiv. la ; 8-9.
Joshua iv. 13; 19; v. 10-12; vii. i; ix. 156; 17-21; xiii. 15-32;
xiv. 1-5 ; XV. 1-13 ; 20-44 ; 48-62 ; xvi. 4-8 ; xvii. la (16-2) ;
3-4 ; 7 ; 9a ; 9c-ioa ; xviii. i ; 1 1-28 ; xix. 1-8 ; 10-46 ; 48; 5 1 ;
XX, 1-3 (except " and unawares") ; 6a ; 7-9 ; xxi. 1-42 ; (xxii.
9-34)-
252 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
APPENDIX B
It is clear that tlie regulations of the "Book of the Covenant" (Exod.
xx.-xxiii., included in JE) could not have constituted the entire body
of law possessed Ijy the Israelites, even at the earliest period of their
national history. The custody of the Ark and the Tabernacle must
have involved a certain amount of ceremonial observance, and all acts
of sacrifice would naturally be performed in accordance with a pre-
scribed ritual. And there is actual evidence for the existence, during
the period of the Judges and Kings, of many things which are not
mentioned in JE, but only in D and P. Such are the cherubim
(i Sam. iv. 4), the staves supporting the Ark (i Kings viii. 7), the
shewbread (i Sam. xxi. 6), and the lamp (i Sam. iii. 3). For the
priesthood preference seems to have been shown for Levites (Judges
xvii. 10), and among these for the descendants of Aaron (Judges xx. 28).
The ephod was a priestly garment (i Sam. ii. 18, xiv. 3); and divi-
nation was practised by Urim (i Sam. xxviii. 6). In addition to the
Sabbath and the three great festivals, the new moon was observed
(i Sam. XX. 5) ; and the prophets of tlie eighth century make mention
of set feasts (Hosea ii. 11), solemn assemblies (Amos v. 21), convoca-
tions (Isa. i. 13), tithes, free-will offerings and thank-offerings, and the
use of wine and of incense in sacrifice. Reference is also made to the
Nazirite vow (Judges xiii. 5), separation for uncleanness (i Sam. xx. 26,
xxi. 4 ; 2 Sam. xi. 4), atonement by sacrifice (i Sam. iii. 14), and the
unlawfulness of eating blood (i Sam. xiv. 33). On the other hand,
I Sam. ii. 22 (which alludes to Exod. xxxviii. 8) is omitted by the
LXX., which also ignores in i Kings viii. 4 the distinction drawn
between the priests and the Levites.
APPENDIX C
The following table gives the chief discrepancies between the provisions
of JE, D, and P:—
JE
D .
P
(a) Place of sacri-
Wherever Jehovah's
At one sanctuary
At one sanctuary
fice.
name is recorded.
only, after arrival
already existing in
Exod. XX. 24.
in Canaan.
the camp.
Deut. xii. 1-14.
Lev. xvil 1-9.
(h) The altar.
Of earth or unhewn
Of unhewn stone.
Two— of acacia wood
stone.
Deut. xxvii. 5-6.
plated with brass
Exod. XX. 24-25.
and gold.
Exod. xxvii. and
XXX.
(c) Feasts.
Three — Unleavened
Three— Passover(Un-
Six — New Moon,
Bread, First-fruits
leavened Bread),
Passover, Weeks,
(Weeks), Ingather-
Weeks, Taber-
Trumpets, Atone-
ing.
nacles (Ingather-
ment, Tabernacles.
Exod. xxiii. 14-17,
ing).
Lev. xxiii, ;
xxxiv. 22-23.
Deut. xvi. 1-17.
Num. xxviii. 1 1-
xxix. 38.
(d) Place of refuge.
The altar.
Six cities.
Six cities.
Exod. xxi. 13-14.
Deut. xix.
Num. XXXV.
(c) The iwiesthood.
(Not restricted ex-
Eestricted to Levites.
Restricted to sons of
clusively to any
Deut. X. 8, xviii.
Aaron, Levites
class).!
I, 6-7.
having only sub-
ordinate functions. ^
Num. xviii. 1-7 ; cf.
iii. 10, vi. 23 ; Lev. 1
Levites have forty-
if) Priests' hahita-
(No directions given.)
Levites sojourn
tions.
among other Israe-
eight cities as-
lites.
signed to them.
Deut. xii. 12.
Num. XXXV. 1-8.
ig) Manumission
Liberated after six
Liberated after six
Liberated in year of
of Hebrew
years' service.
years' service.
Jubilee [i.e., every
slaves.
Exod. xxi. 2.
Deut. XV. 12.
fiftieth year).
Lev. XXV. 8-10.
(A) Priests' dues.
(No directions given.)
(a) Of sacrifices,
(a) Of peace - offer-
? First-fruits.
shoulder, cheeks.
ings, wave-breast.
and maw.
and heave thigh; of
(6) Of corn, wine, oil.
other oblations, all
and wool, the first-
that was not burnt.
fruits.
(b) Of corn, wine, oil,
Deut. xviii. 3-4.
fruit, and cattle,
the first-fruits and |
firstlings, and the j
redemption-money
paid for the first-
born of men.
(c) All devoted things.
{d) Tithe of the tithe
given to the Le-
vites.
Lev. vii. 31-34;
Num. xviii. 9-19.
! The expression in Exod. xxiv. 5 (JE) is noticeable in this connection: — "And he
(Moses) sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt-offerings and
sacrificed peace-offerings unto Jehovah."
254 THE BOOK OF GENESIS
APPENDIX D
The following are instances, in Judges-2 Kings, of the practice named
agreeing with JE as against D or P: —
( I.) Sacrifices offered at other localities beside the central sanctuary
(presumably the place where the Tabernacle was stationed) :
Bochim (Judges ii. 5), Ophrah (Judges vi. 24, 28), Gilgal
(i Sam. X. 8), Bethlehem (i Sam. xx. 29), and "high places"
generally (i Kings xv. 14, xxii. 43, &c.). See also i Sam.
xiv. 35 ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 25 ; i Kings xviii. 31-32.
(2.) Refuge taken at the altar : i Kings i. 50, ii. 28.
(3.) Priestly functions exercised by others than the sons of Aaron
or Levites : Sacrifice is offered by Gideon (Judges vi. 26),
Jephthah (Judges xi. 31), Manoah (Judges xiii. 19), Samuel
(i Sam. vii. 9), Saul (i Sam. xiii. 9), David (2 Sam. vi. 17, foil.),
and Solomon (r Kings iii. 4) ; David and Solomon bless the
people (2 Sam. vi. 18 ; i Kings viii. 14 : contrast Num. vi. 23);
and David makes his sons priests (2 Sam. viii. 18 ; c/. also
Judges xvii. 5 ; 2 Sam. xx. 26). Further, laymen are admitted
into the House of Jehovah (2 Kings xi. 3, 4).
(4.) The priests' dues, so far as they are mentioned (i Sam. ii.
14-16 ; 2 Kings xii. 16), do not agree with the directions of
P (see Lev. vii. 32-33, x. 15 ; Lev. iv. 22, foil., v. 13-16, vii. 7).
For some of these violations of the enactments of D and P explana-
tions may perhaps be offered ; as, for instance, the lawlessness which
prevailed during the times of the Judges, the loss of the Ark in the
time of Eli, the independent authority of prophets like Samuel, and
the corruption of worship introduced in the reign of Solomon. On the
whole, however, the impression created by the record is that in what
was done there was nothing illegitimate or exceptional.
APPENDICES
=55
APPENDIX E
THE PEOPHETS AND THE DOCUMENTS
(See Stanley Leathes, The Law and the Prophets.)
Parallels ivitk JE.
Amos iv. ii {cf. Isa. i. 9, iii. 9),
I have overthrown some among
you, as when God overthrew Sodom
and Gomorrah.
Genesis xix. 24-25.
Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom
and upon Gomorrah brimstone and
fire from Jehovah out of heaven ;
and he overthrew those cities.
Hosea xii, 3.
In the womb he (Jacob) took his
brother by the heel.
Genesis xxv. 26.
And after that came his brother
out, and his hand took hold on
Esau's heel.
Hosea xii. 3-4.
In his manhood he strove with
God ; yea, he strove with the angel
and prevailed.
Hosea xii. 12.
And Jacob fled into the field of
Aram, and Israel served for a wife,
and for a wife he kept sheep.
MiCAH V. 6.
They shall waste the land of
Assyria with the sword, and the
land of Nimrod in the entrances
thereof.
Genesis xxxii. 28.
Thy name shall be called no more
Jacob, but Israel ; for thou hast
striven with God and with men, and
hast prevailed.
Genesis xxxv. 7, xxix. 20.
He fled from the face of his
brother . . . And Jacob served
seven years for Rachel
Genesis x. 8, n.
And Gush engendered Nimrod , . .
He went forth into Assyria and
builded Nineveh, &c.
Cf. also Isa, iv, 5 with Exod, xiii, 22; Amos ii. 9 with Num. xxi. 21,
foU. ; Hos. xiii. 4 with Exod. xx. 2-3.
256
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
Parallels ivith Deuteronomy.
Amos ix. 8.
Behold, the eyes of the Lord
Jehovah are upon the sinful king-
dom, and I will destroy it from off
the face of the ground.
Hose A v. 10.
The princes of Judah are like
them that remove the landmark.
Deuteronomy vi. 15.
Lest the anger of Jehovah thy
God be kindled against thee, and
He destroy thee from off the face
of the ground.
Deuteronomy xix. 14.
Thou Shalt not remove thy neigh-
bour's landmark.
Isaiah i. 2.
Hear, O heavens, and give ear,
0 earth.
Deuteronomy xxxii. i.
Give ear, ye heavens, and I will
speak ; and let the earth hear the
words of my mouth.
Isaiah x. 21.
The mighty God.
Deuteronomy x. 17.
The Great God, the mighty and
the terrible.
Isaiah xxi. 9. Deuteronomy vii. 25.
All the graven images of her The graven images of their gods,
gods.
Cf. also Hos. iv. 4 with Deut. xvii. 12 ; Hos. ix. 4 with Deut. xxvi. 14 ;
Isa. ii. 7 with Deut. xvii. 16-17 > Isa. viii. 19 with Deut. xviii. 11.
That Jeremiah was acquainted with Deuteronomy is indisputable, so
that quotation is unnecessary.
Parallels ivitli P.
Amos ii. 7.
Profane my holy name.
Amos iv. 5.
Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving
of that which is leavened.
Leviticus xviii. 21.
Profane the name of thy God.
Leviticus vii. 13.
With cakes of leavened bread he
shall offer his oblation with the
sacrifice of his peace-offerings for
thanksgiving.
Amos vii. 4.
The great deep.
Amos ix. 13.
The ploughman shall overtake the
reaper, and the treader of grapes
him that soweth seed.
Genesis vii. 11.
The fountains of the great deep.
Leviticus xxvi. 5.
Your threshing shall reach unto
the vintage, and the vintage shall
reach unto the sowing-time.
APPENDIX E
'57
Parallels with P — continued.
HOSEA iv. 10.
They shall eat and not be
fied.
Leviticus xxvi. 26.
Ye shall eat and not be satisfied.
HosEA xii. 9. Leviticus xxiii. 42.
I will yet again make thee to Ye shall dwell in booths seven
dwell in tents, as in the days of the days (i.e., at the Feast of Taber-
set feast.
nacles, one of the " set feasts '
The words creeping thing (ii. 18), to bear their guilt (v. 15), lexodncss
(vi. 9), and congregation (vii. 12) are characteristic of P.
Isaiah i. 4.
The Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah viii. 13.
Jehovah of hosts, Him shall ye
sanctify.
Leviticus xi. 44.
I am holy.
Numbers xx. 12.
Because ye believed not in me,
to sanctify me.
Isaiah viii. 19.
And when they shall say unto
you, Seek unto them that have
familiar spirits and unto wizards.
The words covering and plating (xxx. 22) are peculiar to P ; and create
(iv. 5) and heget (xxxix. 7) are also characteristic of P.
Leviticus xix. 31.
Turn ye not unto them that
have familiar spirits, nor unto the
wizards.
MiCAH iv. 13.
Thou shalt devote their gain unto
Jehovah.
Leviticus xxvii. 28.
No devoted thing, that a man
shall devote unto Jehovah.
MiCAH vi. 6.
Shall I come before Him with
calves of a year old.
Jeremiah iv. 23.
I beheld the earth, and lo, it was
without form and void.
Leviticus ix. 3.
Take up ... a calf and a lamb,
both of the first year.
Genesis i. 2.
The earth was without form and
void.
Jeremiah xi. 4.
Ye shall be my people, and I will
be your God.
Jeremiah xiv. 9.
Thou, Jehovah, art in the midst
of us.
Leviticus xxvi. 12.
I . . . will be your God, and ye
shall be my people.
Exodus xxix. 45.
I will dwell among the children
of Israel, and will be their God.
R
258
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
Parallels to P — continued.
Jeremiah xxi. lo.
I have set my face against this
city.
Jeremiah xxxii. 7.
Thine uncle shall come to thee
saying, Buy thee my field ... for
the right of redemption is thine to
buy it.
Jeremiah xxxiv. 16.
Profaned my name.
Jeremiah xliv. 7.
Wherefore commit ye this evil
against your own souls.
Jeremiah xliv. u.
I will set my face against you
for evil.
Leviticus xvii. 10.
I will set my face against that
soul.
Leviticus xxv. 25.
If thy brother be waxen poor,
and sell some of his possessions,
then shall his kinsman . . . redeem
that which his brother hath sold.
Leviticus xix. 12.
Thou shalt not profane the name
of thy God.
Numbers xvi. 38.
These sinners against their own
souls.
Leviticus xvii. 10.
I will set my face against that
soul.
The words and phrases congregation (vi. 18), everlasting covenant (xxxii.
40), ^5MrcAase (xxxii. 11), he fruitful and multiply (xxiii. 3), iwoclaim liberty
(xxxiv. 8), all flesh (xxv. 31), create (xxxi. 22), beget (xxix. 6), I am Jehovah,
lewdness (xiii. 27), are characteristics of P.
The evidence of EzeJciel to P.
Ezekiel iv. 14.
From my youth up even till now
have I not eaten of that which
dieth of itself or is torn of beasts.
Leviticus xxii. S.
That which dieth of itself, or is
torn of beasts, he shall not eat.
Ezekiel iv. 16.
I will break the staff of bread.^
Ezekiel iv. 17.
That they may . . . pine away
in their iniquity.
Leviticus xxvi. 26.
When I break your staff of bread.
Leviticus xxvi. 39.
They that are left of you shall
pine away in their iniquity.
1 How much nearer Ezekiel is to the language of P than his prede-
cessors may be seen by comparing this and other phrases (see p. 259)
with the similar expressions in Isaiah, Amos, and Jeremiah : e.g., Isa. iii. i,
" Jehovah . . . doth take away from Jerusalem . . . the ivholc stay of bread ; "
Amos ix. 4, "Thence / ^vill command the sicord, and it shall slay them ;"
Jer. xxxii. 14. " I will enter into an everlasting covenant with them."
APPENDIX E
259
The evidence of Ezekiel to P — continued.
EZEKIEL V. 2.
I will draw out a sword after
them.^
Leviticus xxvi. 33.
I will draw out the sword after
you.
Ezekiel xiv. 8.
I will cut him off from the midst
of mj- people.
Ezekiel xiv. 10.
They shall bear their iniquity.
Ezekiel xvi. 21.
Causing them to pass through
(the fire) unto them.
Leviticus xvii. 9.
That man shall be cut off from
his people.
Leviticus v. i.
He shall bear his iniquity.
Leviticus xviii. 21.
Thou shalt not give any of thy
seed, to make them pass through
(the fire).
Ezekiel xvi. 60.
I will establish unto thee an
everlasting covenant.-
EZEKIEL XX. II.
I gave them my statutes and
showed them my judgments, which
if a man do, he shall live in them.
Genesis xvii. 7.
I will establish my covenant . . .
for an everlasting covenant.
Leviticus xviii. 5.
Ye shall keep my statutes and
my judgments, which if a man do,
he shall live in them.
Other words and phrases characteristic of P are : God Almighty, the
firmament, for food, create, beget, multiply and be fruitful, swarm, bird of
every sort, after their kinds, for a possession, the land of their sojournings, the
self-same day, lewdness, likeness, execute judgments (cf. Exod. xii. 12), ye shall
know that I am Jehovah, commit a trespass {cf. Lev. v. 15), all flesh, gettings,
alien {cf Exod. xii. 43), creeping things, beast of the earth. Many of these
occur frequently.
^ See note on page 258.
2 Ibid.
[NDEX
PAGE
PAGE
Abel ....
214
Bei-ed .
. 226
Abel Mizraim
247
Bethel .
. 222
Abraham 52, 54, 58, 6 1, 6
6,226
Bethuel
• 230
Accad ....
220
Birthright .
■ 231
Admah
228
Bozrah
. 238
AduUam
239
Buz .
. 229
Ai . . . .
223
Allon-bacliutli
236
Calah
. 220
Almigbty .
226
Calneh
. 220
Amalek
237
Canaan
. 219
Amorite
220
Chedorlaomer
■ 47
Amos . . 23, 24, 25
5,256
Cherubim .
. 212
Analysis of Genesis
3
Chesed
. 229
Angels
226
Chezib
• 239
Antbropomorpliism
II
Christ and Genesis
Aram ....
221
25, 40, 44, 64, 66, 214, 228
Aram-Naharaim .
230
Chronicles, how compc
sed . 12
Ararat ... 4
3,217
Chronology .
■ 51
Ariocli
47
Circumcision
. 226
Ark ... 41, 4
3,217
Clean and unclean ani
mals . 217
Arkite.
221
Compiler of Genesis
17, 20
Arpachshad . - .
221
Creation, The .
• 27
Arvadite
221
Cubit .
• 217
Aslier ....
233
Cuneiform inscriptions
Asliteroth Karnaim
224
25
, 34, 41,47
Asshur
221
Cush .
. 212
Authorship of Genesis
18,24
Damascus .
. 225
Babel
221
Dan (person)
• 232
Bdellium
212
Dan (place) .
. 224
Beer-lahai-roi
226
Day .
28, 33, 209
Beersheba .
229
Dead Sea .
■ 223
Ben-ammi .
228
Dedan .
• 230
Benjamin .
236
Deluge, The
• 41
Benoni
236
Deuteronomy
I
11,23
262
INDEX
PAGE
PAGE
Divine communications . 64
Gerar .
. 221
Dodanim
. 219
Gihon .
. 211
Dothan
. 238
Gilead .
. 234
Dumah
■ 231
Girgashite .
. 221
Glosses
. T7
Eden .
34,211
God .
. 209
Eder . .
• 237
Gomer
. 218
Edom .
. 231
Gomorrah .
. 227
Edomite kings .
49, 238
Gopher-wood
. 217
Egypt . . .
• 53
Goshen
. 242
El . . .
. 225
Goyim
■ 223
El-bethel .
. 236
El-elohe-Israel .
• 236
Haggai
. 24
El-Elyon .
. 225
Ham (person)
. 217,218
Elam .
. 221
Ham (place)
. 224
Elishah
. 219
Hamathite .
. 221
Ellasar
. 223
Haran .
. 222
Eloliim
. 209
Havilah
. 211
Eloliistic narrative
Hazezon-tamar
. 224
El-paran
. 224
Hebrew
• 53, 224
Emini .
. 224
Heth .
. 220
Enaim .
■ 239
Hiddekel .
. 211, 2X2
En-mishpat .
. 224
History, Hebrew
method of
Enoch .
• 215
writing .
12, 67
Ephah .
. 231
Historical books
■ 24, 254
Ephraim
. 241
Hittite
. 220
Ephrath
• 236
Hivite .
. 220
Erech .
. 220
Hobah
. 224
Esek . .
• 231
Horite .
. , . 224
Esau .
• 231
Hosea .
23, 255-257
Euphrates . -
. 211
Host of heaven
. 210
Eve .
. 212
Hyksos
• 54, 240
Exodus, The
. 240
Ezekiel . . :
4, 258, 259
Inconsistencies
in Genesis 4
Ezra .
• 24
Inspiration .
. 63, 65, 67
Isaac .
. 52, 227
Fall, The .
• 34
Isaiah .
23, 256, 257
Firmament .
. 210
Ishmael
. 226
Flood, The .
• 41
Israel .
• 235
Issachar
• 233
Gad .
• 233
Galeed
• 234
Jabbok
• 235
Gaza .
. 221
Jacob .
52, 231
Genealogies .
. 215
Japheth
. . . 218
Generations .
. 211
J a van .
. 219
Genesis
3
Jebusite
. 220
INDEX
263
PAGE
PAGE
Jegar-sahadiitlia . . .234
Moab ....
228
Jehovah
. 211
i\Ioabite Stone
65
Jehovah-jireh
. 229
Moreh. . . .
222
Jeremiah
4,257,258
Moriah
229
Jerusalem
. 225
Moses ....
18-22
Jetur .
. 231
Myths. ... 2
6,216
Joseph
• 233
Judah .
. 232
Naphish .
Naphtali .
231
233
Kadesh
. 224
Nebaioth .
231
Kadmonite
. 225
Nephilim .
216
Kain .
• 213
New Testament and Genesi.
5
Kedar .
• 231
25. -hi, 38, 40, 44, 64, 66
, 214,
Kenite
. 225
215, 228
Kenizzite
. 225
Nimrod
. 220
Keturah
• 230
Nineveh
. 220
King's Vale
. 224
Noah .... 4
I, 216
Kiriathaim
. 224
Nod ... .
. 214
Kittim
. 219
Numbers, favourite 50, 21
5,237
LAiiECH's song
. 214
On ... .
241
Laplace's theory
• 32
Onyx -stone .
212
Lasha .
. 221
Ophir ....
221
Laws .
21, 253
Oral tradition
51, 52
Levi .
232
Longevity
215, 222
Paradise .
34
Lot's wife
. 228
Paran ....
229
Love-apples
• 233
Pathros
219
Lud .
. 221
Pathrusim .
220
Ludim
. 220
Patriarchal history
46
Luz
. 232
Peniel (Penuel) .
235
Perez ....
239
Machpelah
. 230
Perizzite
223
Madai .
. 219
Pharaoh
223
]\Iagicians
. 240
Philistines .
220
Magog .
. 219
Phut ....
219
^Jahanaim
• 234
Pishon
211
Manasseh
. 241
Plain of Jordan .
223
Mandrakes
■ 233
Priestly narrative
7
]\Iarriage
. 40
Prophets
64
Medanites
. 231
Prophetical narrative .
II
]\Ieshech
. 219
]\Iicah .
3> 255, 257
Rameses
243
Midianites
• 231
Rehoboth .
231
Mizpah
• 234
Rehoboth Ir
220
Mizraim
. 219
Repetitions in Genesis
3
264
INDEX
PAGE
PAGE
Rephaim . . . .224
Sodom
. 227
Resen .
220
Sons of God
. 216
Reuben
232
Speeches
• 57
River of Egypt
225
St. Paul and Genesis . . ^8
Succoth
• 235
Sabbath
210
Salem .
225
Tarshish .
. 219
blets47, 220,225
225
■ 231
• 234
. 211, 212
• 239
. 219
. 219
Salt Sea
Sarah .
223
227
Tel-el-Amarnata
Sarai .
227
Tenia .
Seba .
Seir .
Sephar
219
224
221
Terai^him .
Tigris . .
Timnah
Serpent
34, 36
Tiras .
Seth .
214
Tubal .
Shalem
236
Sheba .
21
9, 230
Shecheni
Uk
. 223
Shekel
230
Shem .
218
Week .
• 210,232
Shiloh
245
Writing, early use of . -47
Shinar
223
Sheol .
238
Zeboiim
. 228
Shiir .
226
Zebulun
• 233
Siddim
223
Zechariah
• 24
Sidon .
220
Zemarite
. 221
Simeon
232
Zerah .
• 239
Sinites
221
Zoar .
. 228
Sitnah
231
Zuzim .
. 48,224
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